Resistance
by chrisxgirlx
Summary: By chance they found their way back to each other. Now Rick and Sara Grimes must fight to hold onto one another and their family as outside forces threaten to destroy everything they love. Rick/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 _I don't wanna be a witness, to a path that's overgrown_  
 _I don't wanna see this house not be a home_  
 _'cause tie has taken toll on what we couldn't see_  
 _No I don't wanna be a witness to the end of you and me_

 ** _Can't go back - Rosi Golan  
_**

 ** _-0-_**

" _Rick!"_

 _A startled, panicked cry pierced through the quiet house and without hesitation Rick Grimes hurriedly put down his coffee, sprung from his chair and tore into the hallway as quickly as his legs would carry him. He took the stairs three at a time, in a bid to reach the top landing and hurried through his bedroom door. As he came to a sudden halt in the center of the room, trying to catch his breath the sight that met him brought a look of confusion to his face. Diverting his gaze he did a quick sweep of the room before turning to look at his wife who was currently teetering on the edge of her dresser chair._

" _What happened?" He asked her, taking another step towards her, only to watch as she reached out a slender hand and pointed towards their bed. "What is…"_

" _It's under there…that thing Carl brought back from school." She explained, barely suppressing a shudder as she replayed opening the drawer to the dresser and that eight legged monster crawling out onto her hand. Rick stared at the bed and then back to his wife, his gaze lingering on her for a few beats before a chuckle of amusement burst out of his chest. Suddenly he understood his wife's reaction and knew the only way he was getting her down from there was if he got rid of the problem hiding beneath the bed._

" _You know its harmless right darlin'?" he asked, already laying down his Colt and getting to his knees beside the bed. He heard the blonde scoff and he chuckled again. Peering beneath the bed, he easily located the tarantula so named Sammy. It had been Carl's turn to take home the tarantula and look after it for the week, and Rick couldn't wait for it to go back tomorrow. Once in his hand he began to stand again and turned around, "See, come on down now."_

" _Not until that thing is either flushed or locked away." She replied, her nose scrunching up in a way he absolutely adored. Laughing he shook his head again and decided to put her out of her misery, quickly heading out of the bedroom and moving towards Carl's. Seeing the lid hanging off the tank he sighed knowing he'd have to have a word with Carl later on. "Make sure that lid is on!" was the next thing he heard._

" _Sorry Sammy, ya know the rules." Rick whispered, placing the eight legged creature inside the tank before securing the lid back on. Turning to leave he headed back to the main bedroom and smiled, there she was still standing on the chair and frowning, her eyes running over him warily when he appeared again._

" _I take it you went for the latter option Sheriff Grimes." She commented, half smiling as Rick moved closer to where she was stood._

" _Not sure Carl, or his teacher would take it well if we flushed it darlin'." He pointed out, watching as her golden blonde locks fell past her shoulders when she reluctantly nodded her head. Taking the hand he held out to her, she finally climbed down off the stool, turning her green eyes back up his face. Seeing him watching her, she smiled that breath-taking smile that always had him falling in love with her all over again. Her delicate hands slipped over his chest and came to rest on his shoulders as she pushed herself up onto her tiptoes, placing a soft kiss to his lips._

" _My hero." She teased, making Rick laugh as his hands migrated to her hips and he pulled her body closer to his own, where he closed the remaining distance between them and kissed her once more._

 _Sara Grimes had become his wife four years ago and they'd been together for over a year before that. Never had he thought he'd be able to move on from Lori, not after she walked away from him and Carl all those years ago. Yet here he was, happily married to a woman he could never imagine his life without. The day she'd walked into that hospital room had been the day his life had changed forever. Their love had been an easy one, built on trust, friendship, passion, intimacy and understanding. The kind of love and intimacy they shared went deeper than just something physical, it was emotional, pure and unadulterated and unlike anything he'd ever had before._

 _Together they'd made a home with their children. Carl had embraced Sara as his Mom, never really giving Lori a second thought after learning she'd walked out on both him and his Father. Grace, the bouncy little six year old whom Rick loved as his own had captured his heart all those years ago and he completely adored the excitable little girl, as if she were his own flesh and blood._

 _Rick groaned against Sara's lips as he turned, pressing her against the bedroom wall, his hands slipping easily beneath her pajama top. Sara gasped when she felt his touch, her arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders as he deepened the kiss. Only as he did an incessant, repetitive beeping sounded throughout the room, shattering their moment of closeness._

 _Sara broke the kiss first and huffed in frustration as she slipped from Rick's hold and moved across the room, to her bedside cabinet. With a groan Rick pushed away from the wall and stepped into the bathroom, determined to grab a shower before his next shift, "That the hospital?" he called out to Sara._

" _Yeah, 911…" she called back, trailing off. Rick nodded, knowing the demands of her job, his own were the same._

" _You gotta go right now?" he asked, pulling his shirt over his head as the shower warmed up. Sara never answered, "Darlin…?" Rick moved back into the bedroom, kicking off his boots as he did. Only when he straightened he stumbled back into the wall, from the horror that greeted him there. Blood stained the walls all around him, the carpet was soaked through as were the sheets on the bed and there in the center was Sara. His beautiful Sara lay across the bed, her skin torn and shredded, pieces hanging off her as she gasped for breath, blood pouring from her mouth with each exhale, her startling green eyes pinned to him as she struggled to talk._

" _R..Rick…" she spluttered, a gurgling sound coming from her throat and he ran to her, dropping to his knees on the bed, not sure what to do or where to put his hands to help her. Her mouth opened and closed as she stared at him, "R…Rick…y-you, did this…you're fault…we needed you…where were you?" she asked and it was only then Rick looked around and there was Grace. The beautiful little girl he now called his own, lay in the center of the bedroom, her body torn apart like her Mom's._

" _Why did…you…leave us Dad?" she asked, blood spluttering from her mouth, "You killed us!"_

"Dad!"

Rick shot up from his make shift bed, his hand shooting out to grasp hold of the arm in front of him, the one braced against his shoulder. His long fingers wrapped tightly around a small wrist as he struggled to catch his breath, immediately his senses were on high alert as his heart beat wildly against his chest.

"Dad." Carl gripped tight hold of his Dad's shirt, giving the older man a slight shove in order to wake him up fully. When Rick finally looked at his son, registering why it was he had awoken so suddenly, Carl noticed him finally breathe, though he never relaxed, his hold on Carl's arm never loosened, but the boy didn't mind, he was used to his Dad waking up like this.

"Carl." Rick shook off the lingering remnants of sleep

Once again he was faced with the reality of their situation. One would think he could somehow escape this horror when he slept but it followed him into his dreams as well. Tainted every memory he had of his wife and their daughter. They were gone. He'd failed them. When they'd needed him the most he hadn't been there to protect them and now, he only had his imagination to guess what had happened to the rest of his family, that and the memory of the blood all over their living room.

"Hershel said to wake you. Daryl's found some storage containers for us to crash in." Carl explained, once more looking a lot older than he should do at his age. It broke Rick's heart but also made him incredibly proud at how his son had come into his own. "You dreamin' about them again?" Carl asked when the silence continued to linger between him and his Dad. Rick looked at the boy sharply and frowned, before reluctantly nodding his head.

"I miss them too Dad. I should have tried harder…" Carl trailed off and shook his head, the guilt and anger he felt over that day he'd been separated from his sister and Mom was almost overwhelming. It only spurred on his hatred for Lori and Shane who were still adamant they did nothing wrong. Rick reached out and grasped his boys shoulder, forcing the thirteen year old to look at him.

"Carl, it's okay. You didn't get a choice; the important thing is you're still here…" Rick assured his son, not wanting to revisit the same subject again. He couldn't, they couldn't. Things were hard enough now trying to survive hour by hour, Rick couldn't think about what he'd lost. The loss was so great he knew if he really acknowledged it, he couldn't survive the pain, the crippling reality that this was it, this was life and he'd never see his family again. What he had to do now was make the most of who he had left, what he had to do was keep Carl safe, keep their group safe.

Nothing else mattered. Nothing else was allowed to matter right now. Survival had to be their main focus.

They had to survive, because no one else had.

 _ **-0-**_

Sharp green eyes carefully assessed the area, searching for any kind of movement among the trees, as ears listened out for the tell-tale sound of walkers nearby or other people. After all, walkers weren't the only threats anymore. When sure there was nothing else, or no one around them or nearby, Sara Grimes turned back to the tree she'd just climbed down from and held out her arms. "Okay baby, drop them." She said quietly, easily catching the two bags dropped down to her.

Laying them down on the ground, the blonde reached out again to help the small body carefully climbing down and when her feet hit the ground, the girl turned to her Mom and smiled. "See, I'm getting good." The little girl said proudly about her accomplishment with climbing down the tree.

Sara returned the smile and pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead. Grace had turned seven only three days ago and they'd celebrated by sharing a bar of chocolate and getting some new boots from a store they'd passed through in a nearby town. They'd settled there for a couple nights but like always the walkers had come and they'd had no choice but to leave.

"You are baby." Sara replied, helping Grace with her back pack before putting on her own and securing it around her waist, keeping her hunting knife in her hand. It wasn't much but it was all they had left, that and a gun with four rounds left. Sara knew they were in trouble if they didn't find a safe place to be soon. It was freezing, winter was still here and she felt like she was failing Sara, almost as much as she had failed Carl.

Carl.

Just thinking of him made her ache. She'd lost him, he'd been taken and she'd been able to do nothing about it. She hated that, she hated that he was gone god knows where. She didn't even know if he was still alive and that was the worst. Rick was gone and Carl had been all she'd had left, he was for all intents and purposes her son; she may not have given birth to him but that much was still true. He was her son and now he was gone, just like Rick and it was just her and Grace now. She had to protect her daughter no matter what the cost to herself.

"Mom?" Sara refocused on her daughter and crouched down next to her.

"What is it baby?" she asked, tucking a lock of her daughter's blonde hair back under baseball cap. Grace sighed and touched her Mom's cheek, wiping away a tear.

"You're crying again." She said softly and Sara quickly touched her face, having not realized it. Shaking her head she wiped away the dampness on her cheeks and looked back up at Grace, her daughters eyes watched her Mom carefully, having seen this many times before. "I miss Daddy and Carl too." She whispered, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her Mom's cheek.

"Baby…" Sara reached up to cup her daughters face between her hands when the snapping of a branch not far behind them, had her on her feet and shielding Grace. Sure enough seconds later a walker emerged from behind a nearby tree and started ambling towards them, his jaw practically ripped off. He would have easily been taken down but just as Sara made the move to do so, more began to appear, more than she could dare handle alone. Knowing there was only one thing she could do, Sara grabbed Grace's hand and began to run.

Eventually they made it to the nearby highway, the small herd that had been pursuing them were a long way off. It was only once they had solid ground beneath their feet did Sara allow herself to breath, they were by no means safe but things always seemed worse when you were stuck in the trees. At least here, they had a clear path of where they were going and it was straight ahead wherever that place was.

Looking down at her daughter, Sara paused and crouched down again removing the water bottle from her own back pack and handing it to Grace. The little girl took it eagerly and drank as Sara looked up and down the highway, noting a few abandoned cars. Chances were they'd been left for a reason, they didn't work but she had to try. Making sure the first was empty; Sara reached down and lifted Grace, placing her little girl on the bonnet of the car as she ducked inside.

It took twenty minutes to search through all the cars and all she managed to find were a packet of ibuprofen, a pack of colored chalks and couple of energy bars. None of the cars had worked thus far and as she tried the last one Sara knew it had all been a waste of time. Banging her fists against the wheel the woman began to climb out of the car, reaching down for her backpack. "Mom watch out!"

The scream came too late for Sara to react in time and before she knew her body had been slammed against the car, the stench of rotting flesh invading all of her senses. It was a walker and it had her pinned against the car. She couldn't reach for her knife, she couldn't even attempt to as her hands tried in vain to push him off of her. To make matters worse there was a second walker and he was on her to. Decaying, rotten teeth were snapping at her, trying to bite and she was helpless. She couldn't get out; she was trapped and when her daughter screamed out again, the panic became crippling.

"Grace!" she screamed as her daughter cried out her name again. Hearing that triggered a surge of something inside of Sara and with a strength she didn't know she possessed she fought back against the walkers, freeing herself and knocking them to the ground long enough for her to run away from them towards Grace who was struggling to free her leg from a walkers hold. The little girl was kicking as hard as she could whilst her hands were gripping the top of the car she was sat on, so as not to be pulled down by the undead bastard trying to get her.

Sara rushed forward and brought the knife down violently into the walker's skull, pulling out the blade she pulled his hand from Grace and kicked his body to the ground. Before she could check on Grace though she knew the other two were coming and they were coming fast. When she turned they were within arm's reach when two gunshots sounded through the air and both walkers crumbled to the floor.

With wide eyes Sara looked around, locating her saviors and saw two men and one woman standing beside a beat up blue Ford Explorer. Looking from them back to the walkers, Sara swallowed down the fear she felt and reached for her daughter, pulling the trembling little girl down from the car and quickly crouching down next to her. "Did he get you, bite, scratch?" she searched for any signs of broken skin on Grace's legs but saw none only bruising, or at least the beginning of it. Blowing out a breath, the young Mother pulled her daughter into a tight embrace and held her.

"What no thank you?"

It was a gruff voice and Sara reluctantly let go of her daughter, standing up right before turning towards the strangers. Stretching her hand out, Sara pushed Grace behind her, holding her knife tightly in her other free hand. She stared back at the owner of the voice and frowned, "Thank you." She said shortly, knowing that just because they'd saved her life and that of her daughters, did not make them friends.

"No thanks needed, Merle was just teasin' ya." A handsome man said as he stepped between the other two and for a moment Sara felt shocked. Shocked at how well dressed this man was, well groomed, clean and there was a very pleasant yet charming smile on his face. He was dressed nicely, wearing black jeans and a black shirt with a vest. All of this was strange, especially by today's standards. "You both alright?" he asked, taking another step forward, only as he did Sara moved herself and her daughter one step back.

"That's close enough." Sara told the man, feeling her daughters hands tighten around the arm that held her back. The man held up his hands, but Sara didn't relax. "We're fine."

The man simply stared back at Sara as though assessing her and if she was honest it made her uncomfortable, especially as his companions were doing the same thing. "You both got some place to be? Someone looking out for you?" he asked and it was almost like he cared.

"It's just us." Sara answered honestly, ignoring the sting in her chest when she said that out loud. The man shook his head and looked to the other man immediately to his right. The woman on his left smiled kindly at Sara. The man Sara assumed to be the leader refocused on her and Grace and took another step forward though was careful to maintain his distance.

"We have a community. We have walls and it's well guarded against biters and others. You're both more than welcome to join us there…ain't right for you both to stay out here, ain't safe." He said and Sara frowned not trusting what it was he was offering. Sensing her hesitation the man continued, "Hot water, food, shelter, a bed…we're creating something close to what the world used to be like, before all this and we need good people to do that…people willing to contribute…"

Sara sensed his questions. What did she have to offer if she were to accept his invitation and go to this apparently safe town? It all seemed too good to be true. Could anything like what they had before exist in this world? From what she had seen so far, Sara struggled to believe it. However looking at these people made her accept that they had somewhere to call home, they were clean, well fed. "I was a nurse…before all this." She offered up willingly, to which the man smiled.

"Is that right? Names Phillip Blake, though my people call me The Governor…their nickname not mine." He added with an amused chuckle, extending his hand out to Sara. For a moment the woman simply stared back at it before she slowly pocketed her knife and reached forward, briefly shaking it.

"Sara Grimes and this is Grace."

"Hello there Grace…" The Governor said as he looked at the young girl still hiding behind her Mom. Sara looked down at her daughter; the young girl stared back at her and nodded her head, agreeing with Mothers decision. "There'll be plenty of children there for you to play with Grace." He promised the young girl, before looking back to her Mother before giving a nod to the man he'd called Merle. "Then it's settled, there's just one thing I have to ask of you…I need to protect my town and it's people…so I need you not to be able to find your way back if you by chance have to leave, just in case there are more of you…"

"I told you it was just us." Sara interrupted, feeling a little uneasy as Merle went into the car and retrieved something; she once again went to grip her knife when the woman stepped forward after a nod from The Governor.

"It's just a precaution, so if you leave you can't find your way back. You're blindfolded and driven straight into the town…we've all had to do it." The black haired woman assured Sara. Sara shook her head again.

"It's just us, we have no one who can follow us or anyone to go running to." She tried to tell them but the Governor shook his head, looking genuinely sorry to be asking this of them.

"Anyone who comes to Woodbury is blindfolded on the journey there that is the only thing I ask of you, that's it. If you refuse then I'm sorry but, you can't come in." he explained and Sara closed her eyes, "And we'll need any weapons you're carrying."

"So basically you're asking me to put all of my trust into you, on the promise of some kind of community that may or may not be real and hand over my weapons and risk my daughter's life?" Sara asked, shaking her head and chuckling at them. As if on cue the heavens opened and it started to rain once more, as if the Gods themselves were trying to convince her to go.

"We can leave the kid without a blindfold…right Governor?" The woman asked looking back at him. Sara watched the Governor's jaw twitch as he stared back at the dark haired woman before he reluctantly nodded his head and returned his gaze to Sara.

"If it'll make you feel better your daughter can keep the blindfold off, all we're trying to do is protect ourselves." He explained honestly and Sara believed him. Nodding her head slowly she looked down at Grace again, the rain pelting down all around them and leaned down to press a kiss to her head.

"Okay." She agreed, turning back to the Governor and his people. Holding out her knife and gun she looked between the three of them, "This is all we have in regards to weapons; we lost everything else a couple weeks ago." She explained to them, noting the dubious way in which Merle looked at them before taking the weapons.

The woman went and picked up Sara's bag and then in turn took Grace's and threw them into the back of the truck. Sara frowned and the Governor noticing stepped forward, "You'll get them back when we get there, I promise." He assured her and Sara nodded, following the group to the vehicle they were all climbing into before stopping at the back seat doors. The Governor stood behind her as Grace climbed into the car and Sara gave her daughter a reassuring smile before the blindfold was wrapped around her eyes, blinding her.

Sara could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck and felt anxious, her hand reached for Grace's in order to assure herself she was safe. When Grace's hand took her Mom's, Sara released a breath, resisting the urge to cringe when the Governor helped her into the truck, his hands on her waist guiding her. Once inside he let go and she reached for Grace, pulling her tightly into her side protectively.

This was the tie she began to second guess her decision to get into the truck. She couldn't see anything, there was no guarantee he was taking them to his Community. Chances were there wasn't even a community to go to and she had just risked both her own life and her daughters for what? An empty promise? She had nothing to protect them with.

"We'll be there in no time at all." The Governor said from the front seat and all Sara could do was hold onto Grace just that little bit tighter.

 ** _-0-_**

As promised, they were there in on the road less than twenty minutes before the truck was pulling to a complete stop and doors were being opened. Sara felt Grace shift beside her but she never let go, that anxiousness she felt increased as she heard voices, "Grace, baby, where are we?" she whispered.

"It's a town, like they said Mommy, there are people out there!" The little girl sounded excited and she tried to move from her Mom's arms towards the windows, Sara though held onto the little girl. "Mom there's no walkers, there are kids too!"

"I told you." The Governor said and Sara jumped as her door was opened. She felt him move in to remove her blindfold and fought the urge to tense at his close proximity. When the fabric fell away from her eyes, she had to blink a few times before she could focus. Her eyes went from The Governor down to her daughter before she dared look outside. Sara took the hand the Governor was offering her and climbed out the truck, reaching back inside to help Grace do the same.

"Can we have our bags back now?" Sara asked, spotting the two rucksacks still in the back of the car. The Governor shook his head and closed the car door.

"Not just yet, we'll need to go through it just to make sure there aren't any more weapons or…"

"It's just clothes and some personal things from home; I gave you everything we had before." Sara pointed out, holding Grace to her side when the little girl made to move. The Governor nodded his head and smiled, almost like he was expecting her argument.

"We have forty-three other people here; I have to think of them. We want you here but we have to be cautious, everyone here has had to go through the same thing. We're just being careful, that's all." He told her and Sara nodded. She understood, she was being cautious herself but so far he'd been honest with her, so she decided to trust him.

"I'm sorry it's just…we'll definitely get them back?" she asked, relaxing her stance in front of him and grip on her daughter, Sara stared back at the Governor watching as he smiled again and nodded, waving his hand for them to follow him.

"I promise, my men will take a look and they'll be brought right up to your room." The Governor told her and two armed men passed by them, heading towards the car. "That's Martinez and Shumpert, they help keep this place safe." He informed her and Sara nodded her head, watching the men going into the car for her bags before she turned and continued on her way after the Governor.

They headed out onto what Sara assumed was the main road and paused. Sara gasped in surprise as she took in the sight before her. There were people and not just a few there were more people than she'd seen in a very long time, there were children playing football. It was like looking into the past, on what the world used to be. "Where are we?" she asked the Governor.

The Governor grinned back down at her, obviously pleased with the look on her face. Stepping forward and turning to face her, he held outstretched his arms, "Welcome to Woodbury."

 _ **-0-**_

 _ **So this isn't the first Walking Dead fic I've written but it's the first Rick/OFC one and I'm incredibly excited about it. I have a lot of it already planned out and a time table of when each Chapter will be posted.**_

 _ **This is an AU of course. Rick and Lori are divorced and with other people when the apocalypse begins. As you can see the family is torn apart and the reasons behind this will be revisited in flashbacks. Things are set to get harder before they are reunited. So please let me know what you think, I know there aren't a lot of Rick/OC stories out there, so I will admit to being a little worried. Show some love people!**_

 _ **Chapter Two will be posted on Wednesday!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

 _Where do we go from here?  
_ _How do we carry on?  
_ _I can't get beyond the questions  
Clambering for scraps_  
 _In the shatter of us collapsed_  
 _The cuts me with every could-have-been_

 ** _Wait it out - Imogen Heap_**

 ** _-0-_**

Being in Woodbury was almost like taking a step back in time.

Sara and Grace had been given a small two bed-roomed apartment. There was hot water for showers, though they were of course not able to take long ones, because the heat didn't last long and they had an entire town to keep running. There was a steady flow of food and water in the cupboards. They had electricity of all things, though again there wasn't much of it. Anything was better than nothing however; things like heat and electricity were for all intents and purposes extinct, so having even just a little was amazing.

Settling in should have been easy. With a warm bed, a roof and walls to protect them, it should have been so easy to feel safe. If anything Sara felt more on edge and was still looking over her shoulder every couple minutes just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It wasn't to say she wasn't thankful for everything they were being given, she was, incredibly thankful it was just after spending so long on the move it was hard to feel safe anywhere. Sara was doing her best to make it work though. Grace seemed happy and the people here were nice enough. Plus every wall was being guarded 24/7, so that was something, she knew she had to try harder.

Despite the blonde's issues, she was happy to be getting a chance to do nursing again. All in all, the town was turning out to be everything the Governor and his people had promised. It was nice, having a bed to crawl into at night. There were of course two beds, but Grace decided to stay with her Mom which was more than okay for Sara who didn't feel comfortable having her daughter out of reach at night. Things were close to being normal, with only two major exceptions, neither Carl nor Rick were here.

Memories followed her into her dreams and for that she was thankful, being able to remember in full detail the life they had all shared together though was both a blessing and a curse. Being able to dream was a blessing, she could remember family nights in and little insignificant moments spent at the breakfast table but as happy as those memories made her, waking up and realizing that was all over always brought back the crushing grief she felt. There was no escaping the pain, ever, except for those few moments when she could escape into her memories.

Grace was her anchor. The little girl was a constant reminder to Sara, to keep going that she wasn't allowed to wallow in her grief. They'd both lost their family, but they still had each other and it was Sara's duty to make sure her daughter was safe, and looked after. That had been her main reason for coming to Woodbury, there'd been no way she could deny a chance to keep her little girl safe and to give her the best possible chance.

"Mind if I sit?"

Startled from her thoughts, Sara looked up from her seat on the bench to see the Governor waiting patiently beside the table, a charming smile on her face. Returning the smile, the blonde nodded and shifted over a little to allow more room for him to sit. "Of course not, please, sit." She told him, glancing back towards where Grace was playing before looking back to The Governor.

"So tell me, how are you and Grace settling in?" he asked, sidling in next to her on the bench. Sara smiled and nodded her head, tucking a stray curl behind her ear.

"Great. I honestly can't thank you enough for bringing us here…it's been great for Grace, being around people again." Sara said honestly, sure she was still having a little trouble herself but Grace seemed to like it. Sara had feared that her babies smile had been gone forever; it warmed her heart to be seeing it once more.

"There's no need to thank me, we're happy to have you here. For a while there I feared we'd never find anyone with medical experience." He admitted and Sara smiled. She'd been a nurse before all this, with a couple years' experience in medical school before dropping out to be a Mom to Grace. When she'd found out she was pregnant and her boy-friend had left her, she'd made the decision to give up her dream, stay as a nurse and dedicate all her free time to Grace. It was a move she didn't react, not for one second.

"Well I'm happy to help anyway I can. Earn my keep and all." She only half joked. The Governor beside her shook his head and smiled.

"There's no need to worry about anything like that."

"No there is, I mean. We've been out on the road since it happened, constantly running and fighting. No chance to just stop and breathe." She admitted, looking down at her hands briefly before looking up and locating her daughter with her eyes, "I couldn't risk her getting hurt again."

"Again?" Sara felt the Governor shift beside her, his eyes following her own. Shaking her head, Sara stopped herself from saying anymore, that day still haunted her dreams, made her whole body ache.

"It was very early on, when this started. She's okay now though." She said, giving the Governor a look by way of putting a stop to anymore questions. She wasn't ready to talk about it, didn't think she would ever be and especially not with someone she barely knew.

"Well I will make sure that's always true. I'll personally make sure that you and Grace are always safe behind these walls, you have my word." His hand was now on hers as squeezed it, in what she assumed was supposed to be a comforting gesture.

Sara looked down at their hands and then back up to the Governor, to find him watching her intently and if she was being honest, it made her feel uncomfortable. Chances were she was reading way into the way he was looking at her; after all it had been a long time since she'd been around anyone. Maybe all he was doing was comforting her, reassuring her, living up to his role as leader and Governor of all these people. Offering him a small smile of thanks, she subtly pulled her hand free of his, as she did so, Merle, the man who had been the one to save both her and Grace that day walked over to the Governor.

She hadn't had much interaction with Merle since the day they'd met. His gruff appearance could be off putting, as could the contraption on the end of his right hand. Merle had obviously lost his hand at some point and had adapted a very clever weapon on the end of it. He was intimidating but he seemed to have the respect of people in the town and he had Sara's. He'd helped save her daughter by killing those walkers, as had Karen, she appreciated that.

"Governor, I have a word?"

There was a look shared between the two men, a look Sara didn't miss. Merle had obviously been able to convey something important to the Governor without speaking because the other man was standing up from his seat. "Of course." He said to Merle, turning to look down at Sara and plastering that charming smile of his back onto his face, "If you'll excuse me. I have matters to attend to." He told her and all Sara could do was smile and nod as he and Merle turned and began walking away.

Sara watched them in mild curiosity. There seemed to be a lot of that she'd noticed in the week she'd been here, a lot of hushed discussions between the Governor and his men. She pushed all that curiosity down though; she didn't want to over think anything. Right now she wanted to focus on trying to settle back into this way of life and make this work, not for her sake but for Grace's. She wasn't going to ask questions or nose about where she wasn't supposed to. Right now she had a duty and a promise to keep to her daughter, to make sure she was safe.

She would soon find however that keeping that promise wasn't going to be as easy as you would think.

 _ **-0-**_

 _Waking up alone was his least favorite thing in the world and after sliding his hand over the empty space beside him, it was clear it had been empty for a while. Rolling over he eyed the bedside clock for a moment before reluctantly pulling himself up into a seated position. Scratching his chest, Rick slipped his legs over the side of the bed and stood, stretching as he moved to open the curtains. The sun was up, the sky was blue, and all in all it was a beautiful morning._

 _With a smile he grabbed a t-shirt and pulled it on over his head, heading out of the bedroom. It was still early so he knew the kids weren't up and one deep inhale in, let him know his wife was in the kitchen and breakfast was on the go. Today was the first day of his time of work, the first day of Sara's time off and they were taking the kids away on road trip to the Grand Canyon. It'd been a trip Rick had been looking forward to it for a while now._

 _Yawning, he stepped into the kitchen and smiled tiredly. Standing over the stove was his wife, wearing his old academy t-shirt and a pair of shorts, with her unruly curls tied up in a messy bun. She swayed her hips in time to the radio and with her back to him; she hadn't even noticed his presence. So making his way across the kitchen, Rick slid his strong arms around her waist and held onto her, so her back was against his chest. He smiled when he felt her jump slightly and just dropped his head, to press a soft kiss to her neck. "Mornin darlin'." He said; sleep still lingering in his voice._

" _Well good mornin' Officer." Sara replied, letting her free hand rest over Rick's as they settled in front of her against her stomach. Flipping the bacon again she allowed herself to turn in Rick's arms and offer him a proper kiss good morning, one which he eagerly returned. "I figured I'd let you sleep and get started on breakfast before we go…"_

" _I can think of more interestin' things we coulda been doin'…" Rick said suggestively, tightening his hold on the blonde in his arms. Sara bit down on her lip, and eyed her husband playfully before tugging him down for another kiss._

" _Ugh do you guys have to do that."_

 _Sara and Rick pulled apart, both turning to see Carl tiredly entering the kitchen, an excited little five year old bouncing at his side, swinging her poor teddy by one arm. Rick chuckled and pressed a kiss to Sara's lips before stepping back and bending to scoop Grace up in his arms as the little girl charged at his legs. "Well mornin' to you to Princess."_

 _Sara turned back onto the breakfast, smiling happily as her daughter and husband interacted. "Need help Mom?" Carl had sidled up to her at the stove, stirring the scrambled eggs around the pan. Smiling Sara wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his head._

" _Always my little prince." She said, ruffling his hair, making Carl laugh lightly. Rick watched them and smiled at the nickname Sara had for Carl, as he sat with Grace on his lap, listening to her tell him all about how excited Esmeralda, the rag doll in her arms was for this trip. Pressing a kiss to the top of his daughters head Rick once again thanked the Lord for the life he had been given. Little moments like this with his family were what he lived for._

What he wouldn't give for those normal, every-day, mundane moments of sitting down for breakfast with his family. He wished he could have it all back, yet now all he had were the memories of those times and the reminders of what had been and never would be again. He had Carl and for that he was forever thankful but he wanted it all back, he wanted his wife who fit so perfectly against him. He wanted the little girl whose laugh was like music to his ears. He wanted lazy family mornings, movie nights, family sick days, he wanted it all back and it killed him that he never would.

This was his reality now, running, losing people, again.

The group's stint at the storage facility hadn't lasted, like every other time they were forced out by the arrival of the walkers. They'd gotten a couple of weeks in the containers which was, Rick figured better than nothing these days. Still the mood surrounding the group was somber, as with the loss of the containers they'd also had to suffer through the loss of Patricia and Jacqui, both of whom had been cut off from the group by the herd and ultimately devoured. There'd been no chance for a mercy kill; both women had been taken down so fast they'd disappeared from view as their bodies became consumed by the walkers.

T-Dog and Carol were in mourning over Jacqui, being the closest to her in the group. The Greene Family were devastated to by the loss of yet another family member in Patricia and Hershel was having a difficult time comforting both of his daughters. Yet this was their reality, this loss, this pain. They couldn't mourn properly, couldn't bury their loved ones. All they'd been able to do was run, using the distraction to save the rest of the group.

" _Rick, there's a housing estate a few miles up road, figure it's as good a place as any to regroup."_

Rick felt Carl shift in the passenger seat. Eyeing the young boy who silently scoffed and stared out the window, Rick frowned and lifted the walkie in his hand, to his mouth, "That's if it's clear Shane, there's a reason we avoid the estates…." Rick reminded the man, his former friend with whom he was being forced to survive alongside.

" _Well if ya have a better idea man I'm all ears…"_ Rick shook his head, not having to see Shane to know that the other man was trying to provoke him. The last few months had been tense and it was wearing on the group as a whole. Two alpha males couldn't co-exist peacefully in one group, right now Rick was on top but Shane was always pushing, trying to undermine him and it was taking everything in him to not tell Shane to take Lori and go but he couldn't turn them away, not with Lori pregnant. Both her and Shane sure did have awkward timing.

Looking to his left, Rick eyed Carl who stared back at his Dad, a deep frown on his young face. "What you guys think?" Rick asked the occupants of the truck.

"Might be worth it, we're low on gas." Carol pointed out from her seat in the back. The once softly spoken woman hardened in recent months by the loss of her family. Rick also felt the loss of Sophia and carried a huge amount of guilt were the little girl was concerned. He'd tried to save her but he knew he'd made the wrong call in leaving her alone, if he had only stayed and waited out the walkers, done something else then maybe Carol would still have her daughter. Then maybe perhaps he wouldn't be haunted by the image of her walking out of that barn…

"Should send his ass in first," T-Dog chimed in, referencing to Shane and making both Carol and Carl laugh in amusement. Rick chuckled and shook his head at T-Dog, but understanding why he said what he did. T-Dog didn't trust Shane, neither did Carol, they both supported Rick's choices and stood by him, which had him incredibly grateful.

"Let's just go Dad, Carol's right, maybe we'll find some gas there." Carl said, giving his Dad a single nod before looking back out the window, allowing his mind to wander. Rick watched Carl for a moment before refocusing on the road, his truck trailing at the side of Daryl's bike. Indicating to Daryl that they were heading straight on, Rick lifted the walkie to his mouth once more.

"Housin' estate it is. We're a few miles out." He said, before switching off the walkie and dropping it back onto his lap. Maybe the houses would work out, who knew; all he did know was that they would get where they needed to go, one way or another.

 _ **-0-**_

Five weeks had now passed since her arrival in Woodbury and Sara was finally beginning to feel like this was actually going to work. Five weeks and she'd settled in, gotten to know a lot of the other town members, slept better than she had in a long time, Grace was smiling more than she had in a very long time and life was seemingly good. They'd had a breach in the walls two weeks ago but by some miracle no one had been hurt thanks to curfew being in effect, everybody had been locked away in their own rooms.

The population of Woodbury had also risen to 47 after the Governor's men had brought in four more people over the weeks. Despite how quiet it was, Sara found she was kept busy. The Governor's men often came back with injuries from their runs, the newcomers had to obviously attend some regular check-ups and of course their newest addition had come with some health issues and had taken up some of her time over the recent days, but he'd pulled through by some miracle and Sara was adamant he'd make a full recovery.

"What do you mean he's dead? I left him three hours ago and he was fine, his vitals were good, he was awake and talking."

Sara stared back at the Governor with a look of disbelief, unable to believe what he was telling her about her newest patient and Woodbury's 47th member. The young man, Todd, had only this morning been talking about how happy his group would be when they got here. They had food and weapons, as well as a decked out school bus but they'd been unable to find a place to live. Woodbury would be perfect for them, or it should have been.

"I'm sorry Sara, I went in there to inform him about the rest of his group and…well…he was gone." The Governor explained, placing what was supposed to be a comforting hand on her arm. Shrugging away his touch, Sara shook her head beyond confused. Todd had been fine this morning, eager to get up and about, eager to begin pulling his weight.

"What about the others, from his group?" she asked, forcing herself to look up at the Governor, eyes narrowed somewhat as she carefully observed his response. The Governor made a show of sighing, looking pained about what he was about to say.

"They were dead when got there. The biters must have run through the camp." He told her and one could easily say his words had been scripted. She couldn't put her finger on it but something seemed off about the whole thing. The group that had gone out with the Governor, they'd all come back with boxes of food, bags of guns and the bus and none of this other group had survived, Todd included. It all just seemed off to Sara who although thankful for this chance of a normal life, was also cottoning onto the fact that not everything was what it seemed here.

"Well I should check Todd over, see what caused…" Sara made to step around the man in front of her, only he mirrored her actions, moving with her and blocking her way. He gave her one of his charming smiles, his hand back on her shoulder applying slight pressure as he guided her away from the infirmary.

"There's no need to do that. His bodies already been taken out." He told her.

"Just like that?" Sara asked, sure something was going on now. Only before the Governor could answer, Sara saw Grace running from around the side of the infirmary, tears staining her little face. The Governor forgotten Sara moved past him and hurried over to her daughter, scooping her up into her arms and cradling her protectively against her chest. "Hey there baby girl, what's wrong?" she asked softly, noting that the little girl squeezed her tighter.

"Hey now, you alright beautiful?" The Governor asked Grace, his hand on top of her head. Only as soon as he touched her, Grace violently flinched away from his hold, crying even harder as she held onto her Mom, her little body trembling. It was then Sara knew what the issue was, it was the man next to her, her daughter never reacted like this with anyone.

"I'm just goin' to take her back to our apartment." She said, not waiting for an answer from him before she began hurriedly making her way down the street, not stopping for anyone, but aware that the Governor was watching them go.

Once inside of their apartment, Sara locked the door and carried her daughter to the bed. Sitting her down she crouched down in front of Grace, forcing the little girl to look up at her. "Grace, baby what's wrong?" she asked, using her thumb to wipe away the tears. Grace shook her head and pursed her lips together, refusing to look at her Mother. "Grace, look at me…" Sara said firmly, lifting her daughters chin. Once she had her attention she gently caressed the seven year olds cheek. "Now, tell me what's wrong. What happened?"

"I only wanted to show him my doll." Grace said her bottom lip trembling. Sara frowned, looking down at the doll and then back up at Grace, shaking her head from not understanding.

"Show who your doll sweetie?" she asked, watching Grace play with the doll in her hands, the silence between them ticking on for a few moments.

"Todd. He said we could play cards and that he had some in his bag, so I went to get them when…" Grace trailed off, her eyes widening in terror as she recalled what had happened. Seeing this Sara gently placed both her hands on either side of her daughters face and forced her to look at her.

"Grace, when what?" she asked slowly and steadily, reassuring her daughter she was safe there.

"I dropped the cards so I had to pick them up and Mr Governor was in Todd's room." She said, making it clear Todd had been alive at that time. "I heard coughing so I went to see if Todd was okay and Mr Governor had his hands like this…." She showed her Mom by placing her hands on her own neck, "Todd was hitting but he didn't…let go…then Todd didn't hit anymore."

Sara's eyed widened and she dropped her hands away from her daughter in shock. Todd had been alive; the Governor had killed him but why? Shaking her head she quickly reached for Grace as another thought, a more urgent one hit her. "Did he see? The Governor did he see you?" she asked, her heart racing against her chest in horror at what this could mean for her daughter. Grace though shook her head, tears spilling over onto her cheeks again.

"I hid. I stayed very quiet." She told her Mom and Sara blew out a breath, reaching her arms around the little girl and pulling her in tight. "Mommy I'm scared." She cried and Sara held onto her tighter. Everything was making sense now, every little thing her gut had been trying to tell her from the get go had been right. This place had been too good to be true; the Governor was a dangerous man. Killing an innocent person and for what, what reason could there possibly be to justify killing Todd, a boy no older than 21.

"I know baby, I know but I got you." She assured her. Pressing a kiss to the blonde curls on her daughters head, Sara pulled back, holding Grace's face between her hands. Only taking a split second to make her decision now, knowing she needed to do something to keep Grace safe, at least out of the walls they knew what to expect. "No one's going to hurt you okay. I promise. We're getting out of here, we're leaving."

 _ **-0-**_

 _ **I said Wednesday I know but the truth is, the file I saved the original Chapter Two in became corrupt and I lost everything. So I had to start the Chapter from scratch and sadly it isn't as good as the original but still follows the same story. So, sorry for the delay, don't hate me.**_

 _ **Thank you to everyone following this story, all those that have Favorited it, and those that have took the time out to review. I really appreciate hearing your input. Now onto review replies.**_

 _Angie b – I am not going to give anything away in regards to how this will play out but hopefully you will like what I have planned for the next couple chapters. Thank you for the review, you were my first! Hope to hear from you again._

 _JoFrench22 – I updated, a little late yes but it's here and I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for a wonderful review._

 _Angelicedg – You wanted more and here it is. Hope you liked it, let me know what you think._

 _Lorena – Thanks for the review, glad you enjoyed and hope to hear from you again!_

 _Bnoell14 – Oh this story is going places just you wait and see, I have a lot of stuff planned and things will get incredibly intense._

 _Guest – You wanted more. Well here it is!_

 _AnikaHerondale – Hope this keeps your interest. Thanks for the review and hope to hear from you again._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

 _So if you're ever lost and find yourself all alone  
_ _I'd search forever just to bring you home,  
_ _Here and now, this I vow.  
_ _By now you'd know that I'd come for you_

 _ **I'd come for you – Nickelback**_

 _ **-0-**_

Sara did everything in her power to avoid the Governor in the days that followed her daughters nightmarish revelation about what had actually happened to Todd. Now Todd was gone she didn't really have any patients to see but she did drop in to the infirmary just to keep up appearances of everything still being okay. The last thing she wanted to do was draw attention to any misgivings she was having about being here and her plans to try and leave.

The truth was she didn't want to leave; she didn't want to go on the run again, spend every minute of every hour fighting for both hers and her daughter's life. It was exhausting not to mention dangerous, not for her but for Grace. What kind of Mother would that make her, taking her daughter back out there when they had a choice of staying safe behind these walls. Then again, were they really safe here, now they knew what the Governor was capable of, what was to say they weren't next? What happened if he didn't like something she did or what if they brought in another rescued soul simply seeking shelter, only to murder him in cold blood for no good reason?

Sara didn't want to go back outside the walls, but she knew her daughter was at risk here to. The little girl had seen what the Governor did, he may not know it now but in the future, if he somehow got wind of what Grace had seen, heavens knew what he would do if he became aware that he'd left behind a witness. Grace was so young, still so naive but she understood the danger they were in if they stayed. Understood that the Governor wasn't what his people thought he was. Grace had told her Mother she wanted to go, she wanted to find Carl and despite the overwhelming odds, Sara wanted them to have that chance too.

"Ya know you shouldn' be back here."

Sara admittedly jumped, one hand automatically going to her waist, momentarily forgetting that she no longer had her gun. Turning towards the source of the voice, she found the Governor's right hand man, Merle stood leaning against one of the brick walls. Taking a much needed breath in she stepped back away from the school bus that had been brought in back when The Governor and his men had gone out to look for Todd's group. It hadn't been a conscious thing, she'd simply bene on her way to the infirmary and instead her legs had brought her here, where she'd been able to get a clear idea on what had happened.

The bus had been fitted out to act as some bunker for the group. The windows had metal fencing on them, the wheels had dangerously large spikes on them and barbed wire all around the top. It was impressive and it didn't surprise the blonde that they had gotten so far into the apocalypse. The curious thing was though, the bullet holes that riddled the side of the bus, the shattered windows. She couldn't know for sure but the blood spattered along the side with the bullet holes seemed fresh, too fresh to be walker blood which in her experience was thicker, clotted.

"Just wanted to see if what people were sayin' was true." She said, waving at the bus and trying to brush her interest off as curiosity over the look of the bus. With her hands at her side, she shot a small smile at Merle and began walking in the direction of the street. "Won't happen again." She said as she passed him, only to have Merle fall into step beside her.

Her interactions with him up to this point had been limited, but she had a lot to thank him for. Her only issue was how much the Governor seemed to trust this man, in her mind that meant that maybe Merle wasn't someone she could really trust herself, hence her desire to get away from him as quickly as she could. Merle though, didn't seem to be of the same mind and continued to walk beside her.

"Ya know curiosity killed the cat." He said offhandedly and she tried not to frown. "Somethin' you should maybe pass onto that little girl of yours." He finished and this time, she did react. Sara came to a sudden stop and sharply turned to face the man beside her, her posture tense and prone to act on any of her instincts as a Mother to protect.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked, narrowing her eyes dangerously when all Merle did was smirk and shrug his shoulders.

"Just sayin', a friendly bit of advice if you want." He continued, his whole demeanor completely relaxed whilst his eyes held some kind of warning. "Governor has eyes everywhere, he knows what your little girl saw." he said and Sara felt her chest tighten.

"She's just a little girl. She doesn't know what she saw." Sara lied, yet it sounded pathetic even as she said it out loud. Merle chuckled and it was only now she could see he seemed to be acting, trying to play it cool if you will.

"Well he does, Mama and you're goin' to have to get her outta here." He said, starting to walk again and Sara reluctantly followed, trying her best to ignore the hammering inside of her chest. "I could help."

"Why are you telling me this? Why do you want to help us?" she asked, suddenly feeling like a thousand eyes were watching her every move. She tried to remain natural, act like they were having just any normal conversation just in case this wasn't some ploy by the Governor to find out exactly what she knew about what he had done.

"All I want is to find my brother and I think you're the one I need to do that." Merle reasoned though it made no sense to Sara, who was still trying to play along with the façade that they were having a conversation of none importance. "Officer Friendly, the guy in your pictures…I know him, the kid too. Carl." The façade dropped as he continued, and Sara stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes trained on the man in front of her, the sound of her heart racing so loud in her ears.

"How do you…?"

"Merle, you keeping the town's only medical professional away from where she's needed?" The Governor was by her side before she had chance to react to his voice or even finish her conversation with Merle. He knew Carl, he knew Rick though she didn't know how, Rick was dead. Shane had told her so the last day she'd seen him, Lori and her son. Rick was dead; he'd died in the hospital when it had become overrun, by some miracle he'd slipped away in his coma. That's what Shane had told her and she'd always been thankful her husband had slipped away peacefully, though she did wish terribly that he was here with her now. That both he and Carl were, and her and Grace weren't alone.

"I was just asking Merle if he could keep an eye out for a couple things next time you guys go on a run." Sara lied easily, willing the pounding in her head to cease. She was so full of questions and the desire to have them answered then and there was incredible, but she also didn't trust the Governor so she stayed quiet and fought down the urge to interrogate Merle some more.

"Like what?" The Governor asked, that charming smile never slipping away from his face. His piercing gaze fixed on Sara and to her credit, she met it steadily.

"Just a couple books for Grace, figures the library here doesn't have her two favorites." She tried to joke, willing herself to seem at ease. "I just thought that if there was time and if you just happened upon it, you could pick it up?" Much to her relief Merle nodded his head, seemingly going along with the lie,

"Ain't makin' any promises Mama," he told her, taking a step back and she wanted so very much to drag him back, to keep him close. He'd been warning her, he knew Carl, he was telling her to get out surely that made him some kind of an ally, and ally she well and truly needed around right now. Merle turned his focus onto the Governor, seamlessly sliding back into his role as the trusted right hand of the other man. Sara would have found it amusing had she not been in this particular situation and struggling not to turn and run.

"Sure he can keep an eye out." The Governor said, his arm brushing against Sara's and she had to fight down the urge to flinch away. "Milton's waiting for you." He said by way of dismissing Merle and Sara watched as the other man's eyes flickered to hers before he began backing away. In that brief contact Sara understood what he was telling her before he turned to walk away.

' _Be careful'_

"I really should be going to," Sara said, making to leave only to stop when the Governor placed a hand on her arm.

"Hold on there little lady. What's the rush?" he asked, smiling as Sara turned back around to face him. The blonde smiled back and shrugged her shoulders, subtly pulling her arm away from his grasp and crossing them across her chest.

"No rush, I just told Mrs Henderson I wouldn't be too long." She lied, referencing to the woman who kept an eye on the children of Woodbury. A lovely older woman, a retired school teacher who had now picked up teaching again just to make sure the children here got some kind of education. It was this kind of thing that made the idea of leaving so hard. This was so much like the old ways and she very much wanted to stay but she knew the risks, especially now Merle had warned her, what would happen. She knew her decision to go was the right one.

"Mrs Henderson won't mind. Besides I wanna know why you've been avoidin' me for days. I think we need a talk." He said, getting straight to the point. Sara bristled and shook her head, it really bothered her, the fact he'd noticed her absence. The way he stood within her personal space, overstepped his boundaries in touching her when there'd been no invitation to do so. Normally she could assume he was just being friendly but she was getting to know this man, there was something dark, dangerous and sinister about him that had nothing to do with his murderous impulses.

"That's not true, I've been busy and I still need to go I made a promise to Grace I wouldn't be long." She told him, which wasn't a complete lie, she had promised Grace after the little girl had refused to let go of her. The Governor's eyes seemed to narrow somewhat before he nodded his head. There was a look on his face that hinted at knowing something, what it was Sara had no idea, she just wanted to get away. The bad vibes she'd gotten from the Governor in recent weeks were back in force, instinct telling her that he knew something was up. "But maybe we can catch up later?" she added, hoping to alleviate some of the tension.

"Dinner, at my apartment tonight then? Seven?" he asked and she was left with no choice but to smile. Putting on the face of someone who was both flattered and happy to have been asked to dinner she nodded her head.

"Sounds wonderful. I'll see you then." She told him, not waiting for another response before she turned and began the quick journey to get her daughter. Before reaching the building she caught sight of Merle, their eyes locking for one brief moment. Pausing at the apartment door she stared back at the other man, watching as he slowly nodded his head, an action she to mirrored, understanding what he was saying.

Merle was going to help her and Grace get out, they both had something to gain from this arrangement. She got out of here and back to Carl, and Merle would finally get to reunite with his brother, it was a desire she understood and sympathized with. Pushing into the apartment, the blonde Mother released a sharp breath, her body tense as she realized that it had to be tonight.

Tonight was the night she was getting out of Woodbury and back out there to find her son.

 _ **-0-**_

" _There was an explosion outside, the machines went off…the military started comin' in I tried, I really did but Rick, he didn't make it."_

" _You're lying. He's not gone he…they said they were movin' him to Atlanta. Harrison promised me Rick would be the first out." Sara said, shaking her head and refusing to believe what Shane had told her. The couple had shown up outside her house only minutes before, halting any packing she'd been doing. Combing her fingers through her hair, the blonde grabbed the landline but found there was no dial tone. Cursing she slammed the phone back down and resumed pacing. "He promised me…"_

 _Rick couldn't be dead. She'd always thought should anything happen to him, she would know. That there'd be some kind of sign, some feeling but there was nothing. Nothing now but the crushing weight of what Shane was saying, threatening to consume her. Rick wasn't dead, he couldn't be, he was supposed to get better, come back to her and the kids. They needed him, she needed him._

" _Ain't no way anyone was getting' out of that hospital lady. They were shootin' people who weren't even infected. This ain't just about a few people getting' sick anymore it's bigger and we need to get out of here now." Shane said, letting go of Lori's hand and stepping in front of Sara so she was forced to stop. "We gotta go." He told her again firmly._

 _Staring up at the man who was nothing more than a stranger, and then glancing at the woman who called herself Carl's Mother, Sara gave a shaky nod. "Kids, come on we gotta leave now grab your bags!" she called up to them, furiously wiping at the tears that had fell down over her cheeks. "I packed up some food supplies there." She pointed at the boxed food and Shane nodded, grabbing the box as Lori opened the door and ushered him outside._

" _Grab your bags from the car; it'll be better if we all go in the land rover." Lori said to Sara and for the first time there was no arguing with her. It made sense for them all to be in one vehicle and the land rover could quite possibly get them where they needed to go quicker and safer. Rushing past Lori and out of the door, Sara rushed for her car and pulled open the doors, grabbing the rest of the supplies she'd packed in there which only consisted of more food and hygiene products as well as the family tent._

 _Shane came over to where she was; loading up his arms with stuff before returning it back to the land rover at the same time Carl came rushing out the house with Lori. "Where's Grace?" Sara called out to them; Carl looked at his Mom, shrugging off the hand Lori kept firmly on his shoulders._

" _She forgot Esmeralda…" he called out to her, trailing off as a loud crash of breaking glass sounded from inside the house followed by an ear piercing scream._

" _Mommy!"_

" _Grace!" Sara screamed her daughter's name and dropping the bag in her hand rushed back to the house as fast as her legs would carry her. Rushing through the front door she paused, but then followed the terrified cries of her daughter into the living room. The patio door was smashed right through, the broken, torn body of their next door neighbour was currently pulling itself across the carpet towards Grace who was clutching her bloodied up arm against her body. "No…!"_

 _Sara rushed forward and grasped hold of her daughter, pulling her back and up away from the outstretched hands reaching for her. Turning them around she froze, their path back to the front door blocked as more dead came in through the patio door, two more coming out from the kitchen. Tuning out the snarls and growls coming from their mouths, Sara's eyes locked onto Shane who was at the front door staring back at her with wide eyes. "Help us." She called out to him._

 _Lori was by his side and then Carl. The young boy cried out for his Mom and sister and made to move towards them but Shane grabbed hold of him and threw him over his shoulder. He eyed Sara again with something akin to regret and stepped back outside, closing the door just in time to dodge the walkers inside the house grabbing for him. Sara could only watch in horror, they'd left them._

 _Clutching her daughter close to her, Sara kicked out at the nearest one and ushered Grace backwards quickly towards the stairs. Being their only way out she rushed them both up to the second floor and down the hall, her heart pounding loudly in her ears._

" _Mom!"_

 _Hurrying to the window in the hall that overlooked the front yard, Sara could see Carl fighting against Shane who was holding him back and forcing him into the land rover. The boy's face was terrified and devastated as he locked eyes with his Mom on the second floor. "Mom!" he cried out again, trying his best to shove Lori's hold off him as Shane started the car. His cries, his actions grew more frantic but nothing he did worked as the land rover tore out of the drive into the street._

" _Oh my God." Sara whispered, pushing away from the window and turning back around. There was no time to process what had happened, not when those things were now at the top of the stairs. She looked around frantically before jumping up to grasp the pull rope hanging from the ceiling. Giving it a tug she pulled down the ladder and quickly got Grace up, pulling the ladder with her just in time to escape the dead hands of those she'd once called neighbours._

 _Closing the loft door and making sure it was securely locked she fell back away from it. Gasping for breath she turned to locate her daughter, finding her huddled near the attic window. Hurrying towards her on her hands and knees, Sara gently grasped Grace's arm. She was terrified. Working in the hospital over the last few days had given her insight into how this thing spread, it was the bites. "Grace."_

" _I fell down on the glass when Mrs Allen came in, Mommy it hurts." She cried, letting her Mom pull her arm free. There was glass deeply embedded in the flesh, it was deep and bleeding a hell of a lot but there were no bites which was a relief. The wound stretched from the little girls inside elbow to her wrist. "Where did Carl go?" Grace cried, wanting her brother. Sara shrugged off her shirt and carefully proceeded to wrap the arm as best she could considering the glass, before she looked at her daughter._

" _I don't know baby, but we're gonna find him. I promise."_

 _ **-0-**_

"Gov'ner ain't stupid. He knows you know somethin'." Merle said as he lent back against the table, trying to ignore Grace who was staring at him curiously, eyeing the contraption on his right hand with the rapt interest of a seven year old. This was the man had saved both her and her Mom all those weeks ago, she knew him from around but now she was curious as to why he was here helping them.

Sara threw a second bag onto the table and shrugged her shoulders. "Well we're goin' to be out of here before he figures anythin' else out." She told him, stuffing some more essentials into the bag. After filling the other bag with clothes and the photographs she had from home, she'd began grabbing other more valuable things. Supplies like food to keep them going for a good week or so, water, a stocked first aid kit thanks to some sneaky trips into the infirmary, flashlight, and matches. Then there were the weapons. Merle had acquired two guns for her as well as a hunting knife.

"Just make sure you keep movin', stay away from the city, stick to the back-roads." Merle instructed her, no longer dwelling on why he was helping her. He knew why, it wasn't just about Daryl, though that was a huge part of it. No, he'd seen first-hand what the Governor was capable of. Merle knew he himself could be an ass-hole, but he had his morals and he was going to help this woman and her daughter because he could. "Take this too." He said, holding out his arm. Sara stopped what she was doing and looked up to see what he was handing her.

"A radio." She said, and Merle gave her a look that said it was the most obvious thing in the world. Chuckling she took it from him and nodded her head. "You seem so sure I'm goin' to find him" she said, looking back up at Merle, who shrugged his shoulders.

"You find your boy, chances are you'll find my brother." He said to her, "You switch this onto channel 10, sundown, every day I'll check in." he said, taking the radio and shoving it into her bag at the same time there was a knock on the door.

Holding her breath Sara turned to the door, her fingers inching towards the gun on the table only for Merle to grab her wrist and shake his head. He fastened the bag and picked up them both quietly, watching Sara flinch when the knock on the door sounded again. "Go." He instructed her and trying to calm her nerves Sara approached the door, pausing with her hand on the door knob before pulling the door open. Expecting the Governor she was surprised to see Martinez instead.

"Um, hi." She said a little confused as to what he was doing here. Martinez looked incredibly bored and put out as he looked at her before nodding his head back towards the stairs leading out onto the street.

"Governor wants to see you." He said, shifting his footing as he moved aside for her. Sara frowned again and then looked over her shoulder. "Somethin' wrong?" Martinez asked. Sara looked at him and shook her head quickly.

"Nope. I just, let me make sure Grace is asleep and I'll be right back out." Not waiting for a response, she shut the door in the man's face and hurried over to where Merle was hiding with Grace. "What do we do?" she asked him, watching as Merle's eyes flickered back to the door, pondering his next move.

"You go, you go to dinner. I'll get Grace out, tell him ya sick, leave early and meet us, you remember what I told you?" he asked and Sara nodded. Looking down at Grace she was reluctant to leave her. As much as she now trusted Merle, she'd never been away from her daughter, never entrusted someone else with her life but she knew she had no choice. This was their chance out of here, she had to take it. She could play along with the Governor for a bit; allow Merle the chance to get Grace out of here before following herself.

"You'll keep her safe?" she asked, running her hand over the top of her daughters head. Merle eyed her for a moment before nodding and holding tight to the little girl's hand. Grace for the most part looked worried and reluctant to let her Mom leave, but kept tight hold of Merle's hand, understanding the importance of staying quiet. "I'll see you soon pumpkin." She promised, placing a kiss on her daughters head and sharing a look with Merle before gathering up what courage she had left and heading for the door and out to Martinez.

There wasn't any part of her that felt okay leaving Grace alone, in fact the whole idea of what she was doing made her feel sick but she knew this plan would work better now she only had herself to worry about. Merle would get Grace outside the walls; he'd wait with her half a mile away until Sara caught up to them. He'd told her the path would be clear, he'd make sure of it. Sara didn't allow herself to dwell on what he'd do to ensure that, she was just thankful for his help.

This was going to work. It had to.

"I thought we were going to the Governor's apartment?" she voiced after realizing they weren't heading in the right direction. Martinez though didn't answer her and she slowed her steps as he headed down an alley, expecting her to follow. "I'm not going down there."

"You will if you want to keep that kid of yours alive." Martinez said and Sara froze. Despite her better judgement, she looked over her shoulder briefly, the desire to run extremely high but knowing she needed to buy them time to get out, she swallowed down her fear and took a step after Martinez who was now stood next to an open door. He nodded at her to go through, a flicker of what she could only class as regret on his face.

Clenching her fists by her sides, the blonde stepped through the door and moved down the dimly lit hallway slowly. When the door behind her slammed shut she jumped and pressed herself against the wall, gasping loudly when the door at the other end of the hall opened. She took a step towards it before stopping as a familiar figure filled the empty door space.

"There you are." The Governor said as though greeting an old friend, before the look on his face turned sinister. "Now, how about that talk."

 _ **-0-**_

 _ **Well guys. What to say, what to say. Overtime is kicking my butt at the moment so I'm incredibly wiped which of course means, so is my muse. We have the ideas and desire to write but sitting down at the end of the day to do so often becomes an impossible task. Did you like the flashback though into how Sara became separated from Carl? Gives you more of an insight into where that extra bit of resentment for Lori and Shane comes from for both Carl and Sara.**_

 _ **Also, what do we all think about last week's Walking Dead? I'm in the minority, I think who although I love both of them, together I just don't think it works as a pairing, but that's just me.**_

 _ **Thanks to everyone who favorited and put this story on alert. I also love the replies I'm getting and hoping more of you let me know what you think. Your input really does inspire me. Onto review replies.**_

 _Hanna West – I am so happy to hear you love Sara! I love her to, she is brilliant and what I've seen so far only has me wanting to know more about the character. The reunion is going to be a very emotional one and I can't wait for it! Thanks for the reply, hope to hear from you again._

 _Angelicedg – Sara and Grace have been in Woodbury for a good few weeks, I think going on a month now so not too long but long enough for her to know it isn't what it seems. The reunion will be amazing. Can you imagine, they each think the other two are dead._

 _Guest – Thanks for the reply! Hope to hear from you again._

 _Sagge – Your review made me extremely happy and I couldn't sto smiling. I'm trying to make it different to other Rick/OC fics. Nothing against them but I agree, a lot of them are the same. Sara and Grace are in for more troubles, but like you I'm super excited for the reunion scene. What did you think of the flashback to where Carl was separated from his Mom and sister? Also yes, prepare for intense feels!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

 _The tension is here  
_ _Tension is here  
_ _Between who you are and who you could be  
_ _Between how it is and how it should be  
_ _I dare you to move_

 _ **Dare you to move – Switchfoot**_

 _ **-0-**_

" _Rick come on, I don't need to do this."_

" _Course you do darlin', now quit complainin' come on." Rick laughed, taking a stance again watching as Sara pulled a face, grumbling something under her breath before moving to stand in front of him. Crossing her arms she turned her back to him, her posture that of a defiant child with her head tilted to the side. Rick found the entire thing adorable and couldn't help but chuckle again at his wife's antics. "You goin' to carry on poutin' all night?" He asked as his hands came to rest on her arms his head resting against the side of hers._

" _Not all night." Sara responded only partly leaning back against her husband all the while fighting the small smile threatening to appear. "In fact I plan on invoking the silent treatment once this is over and we get back inside the house" she said and this time Rick laughed again, his chest vibrating against her back. Letting his head fall against her shoulder he sighed, and pressed a kiss against the skin exposed thanks to her vest top before pulling back._

" _I'm sure I can find a way to get you making some noise again." He teased and despite herself Sara started laughing, turning only to playfully hit against her husband's arm._

" _Pretty confident in your abilities aren't you Officer?" she said, grabbing hold of his shirt and pulling him close enough so she could kiss him. Pulling away from him she sighed and rolled her eyes, once more turning her back to him, this time her arms by her sides. "Okay, come on let's do this…though to be honest I still don't understand why…"_

" _Why is because you may need it. Ain't no harm in knowing how to defend yourself darlin'. I need to know you can take care of yourself and give someone hell if I'm not around." Rick replied, checking his watch and noting it was getting late. The kids were asleep in bed, and as tired as he was Rick was determined to show Sara some of the basics in self-defence at least, just what he himself had been taught during his training. The knowledge that she would know how to take care of herself should anything happen made him feel a little better about everything. So far though, the beautiful blonde in front of him had yet to be able to throw him down onto the ground._

" _Okay, okay, come on give it to me." She said and Rick opened his mouth to respond to that but instead chuckled and shook his head. Wrapping an arm around her neck, his other hand going to her hip, Rick felt Sara grab hold of his arm as her body began to bend slightly. She tugged as hard as she could but Rick refused to move. After several more moments he was prepared to give up when out of nowhere his feet left the ground and he was going over the small woman's shoulder._

 _For a moment the world tilted before he was landing with a hard thump on the soft ground, staring up at the night sky. Before he had chance to react he heard Sara cheering for herself, could see her dancing her way around to him. With her legs now either side of his she got down onto her knees and leaned in close to press a kiss to his lips. "You okay baby?" she asked, highly amused at the look of bewilderment on his face._

 _Rick playfully narrowed his eyes at Sara before grabbing hold of her legs, pulling her against him and then quickly switching their positions. So now it was Sara lying flat on her back, on the soft grass, with Rick hovering over her. Sara gasped and then smiled, shifting beneath her husband, her legs either side of his hips. "You find somethin' funny?" he asked her, his fingers dancing up her short clad legs. Sara shifted again, trying to ignore the tickle as her hands slipped over Rick's shoulders and tugged him closer._

" _Just the fact that I'm still waitin for you to live up to your promise." She said, their lips brushing against each other's. When Rick gave her a questioning look, the blonde wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him closer, "About you finding a way to have me make some noise…" she finished, biting down on her lip as Rick slowly smirked, his hand dipping below her vest top._

" _Oh darlin' I'm gonna make sure you wake the neighbors." He said, not letting her respond before he crashed his lips to hers and really did live up to his promise._

 _ **-0-**_

Sara continued to meet the eyes of the man across from her steadily, never wavering or letting him see how unsettled she felt. She couldn't and she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Her focus needed to be on getting out of here and to meeting Merle and her daughter, though how she was supposed to do that now she didn't know. The Governor was between her and the door and didn't seem like he'd be much into the idea of just allowing her to leave Woodbury, for some reason, he wanted her around.

As the minutes continued to tick by and the silence continued to linger, Sara began to feel more and more worried. She was confident that Merle would keep Grace safe but what would happen if she herself never made it out of here. As she sat opposite the Governor in this small room, her confidence was slowly diminishing.

"So you wanted to talk? Couldn't wait till dinner?" she asked, finally finding the courage to break the deafening silence. The Governor smirked and nodded shook his head.

"If I'd have waited till then chances are you'd have been gone." He said all but confirming he knew of her plans to leave. Question was did he know of Merle's part in it? She hoped not, the whole plan hung on him not knowing that part.

"How did you know?" Sara asked, not bothering to act confused or even shocked at his accusation. It was the truth after all and if he knew, what was the point in lying.

"Well I figured that once Grace told you about Todd you wouldn't want to stick around." He said as a matter of factly and Sara felt her stomach twist painfully. So he had known all along that Grace had been there, he'd obviously seen her or realised from the way the little girl had so violently flinched away from him.

"You figured right. You told us before you brought us here that we could leave whenever…that's what we're doing." She said firmly, pushing up from the chair feeling ridiculous sat there; she eyed the door, desperately wanting to leave. The Governor, mirroring her actions stood and purposefully placed himself between her and the door. "Just let me go. No one else has to know what kind of man their precious Governor really is." She watched as the smirk on his face flickered into something more dangerous, ore sinister.

"You're not leavin'. We need a Doctor here…" he told her and Sara narrowed her eyes.

"I don't care, find someone else. I want to leave, I have that right, you don't get to keep me here like some sort of Prisoner," she told him, knowing she was pushing buttons and this likely wouldn't end well but she needed to get to the door.

"That's exactly what you became when you got here." The Governor replied a hint of amusement in his tone as he took a step closer to Sara. To her credit she stood her ground. The desire to put more distance between them was great but she wanted to get to that door and it was starting to look like he wasn't going to just allow her to walk out. "No one leaves here; no one's ever wanted to."

"Something tells me that's because they don't know what kind of man they're living under." Sara replied, trying not to react as he took another step towards her. "How many people have you killed? How many Todd's? How many groups have you wiped out? Do you even know?" she asked, knowing now that Todd hadn't been the first to die at the hands of the Governor. According to Merle it was an reoccurring thing. In many instances people could join, but only if they had something to offer and sometimes only if they were alone. If you were part of a group, chances were you were expendable.

The smack, she hadn't seen coming. Before she realised what had happened, there was a burst of pain the back of his hand connected with the right side of her cheek. The impact knocked her back a few steps into the wall behind her. Blinking from the shock of the action, Sara looked up only in time to see the Governor storming to stand right in front of her.

"We saved you! Kept you and that girl of yours safe, you don't get to just walk away. Not until I say." He told her, a hand going to her throat, holding her against the wall. He closed the distance between them, his face close to hers, his body pinning her to the wall. His free hand reached to caress her face, "I had such plans for you. Get past this and we'll start over, maybe even…"

"You're delusional. I'd rather die than stay here another minute or have you touch me…" Sara said, attempting to shove his body off her but to no avail, instead all he seemed to do is press harder against her. Suddenly his grip around her throat tightened and when she looked up at him his eyes had a manic look in them.

"Then so be it." He growled out, his grip tightening, the pressure on her windpipe too much and she began to panic. Her fists hit against his chest, scratched at his arms and just when she thought maybe, just maybe she was about to meet her maker, his grip loosened. Gasping for breath, she found her relief short lived as the hand he'd had resting beside her head dropped lower, "First, maybe a little somethin' to remember you by."

His hand dropped to her waist, before quickly dipping below her vest top caressing the soft skin of her stomach. As his fingers danced over her skin, Sara felt nauseous her panic soaring to new heights when she come to the realisation of exactly what he wanted to remember her by. Sara pushed harder against his chest but he didn't budge and she had no room to move at all, making struggling all that much more difficult.

There was a smirk on his face as his fingers glided up her from her waist, his thumb grazing against the underside of her breast. Sara felt mortified, sickened, nobody had touched her like that in years apart from her husband and his were the only hands she ever wanted on her body. "No." she gasped out, any continuing words halted in their place when he crashed his lips against hers, easily slipping his leg between her own stilling any struggles. The hand around her throat dropped away and something cool and hard was wrapped around her right wrist as they were both pulled above her head.

Sara was trapped, she couldn't move. Physically he was a lot stronger than she was dwarfing her in both height and weight and seemed to be taking great pleasure in that fact. Whilst he groaned in pleasure, Sara let out a sound of protest, a scream but it became muffled against his lips, which moved against hers in a desperate fashion despite how unwilling she was. Determined not to go out like this Sara continued to fight, trying her hardest to pull her hands free, when she realized it was impossible however she began to panic all the more until an achingly familiar voice sounded through her head.

" _Why is because you may need it. Ain't no harm in knowing how to defend yourself darlin'. I need to know you can take care of yourself and give someone hell if I'm not around."_

Rick.

How she craved the warmth and safety of her husband's arms right now. She longed to be in that protective loving embrace of his, miles away from here. But she was here, she was here and Rick wasn't. Rick was gone forever and she was alone. So she had to do exactly what he'd taught her to do. She had to fight, fight because her life depended on it. Fight because Grace needed her, and Carl was out there, waiting for her to come find him. Closing her eyes she let the love she felt for her family fill her up with the strength she needed to fight back and that's when she bit down.

The Governor's roaming hand froze in place over her breast before he snatched it back and screamed out in pain. Biting down hard on his tongue, Sara felt her teeth pierce the muscle, her mouth filling with blood. A yell of pain came from the Governor again and when his hold on her hands loosened she let go, shifting to the side enough to bring her knee up hard against his groin. When the Governor doubled over, blood seeping from his mouth, Sara dodged around him running for the door.

Only thing was, she didn't anticipate the rate in which he'd recover. Before she had chance to reach the door a hand gripped hold of the back of her head and shoved her violently to the side, slamming her against the cold brick wall. Flecks of light danced in her eyes from the impact, her head colliding hard with the wall, blood immediately beginning to trail down the side of her face from the cut now above her left eye. Gasping she found herself winded but fought through it as she was pulled up again and then thrown to the floor once more.

"Bitch. I'm gonna make you pay for that…." The Governor growled a manic look on his face as he descended on her. Sara though kicked out her foot as he got close enough, the heel of her boot hitting the side of his face knocking him back a few steps. This gave her ample time to stand up, her fingers wrapped around the side of the chair he'd been sat on and without thinking she swung it up and hit it hard against the side of him when he came for her again.

The chair legs broke off from the impact and the Governor went crashing against the same wall he'd thrown her. His body slumped against it, before sliding down to land on the floor. Sara waited, but he didn't get up again, at least not straight away. He let out a moan of pain, a gasp as he struggled to catch his breath and Sara dropped the chair. Not wasting another second she launched herself at the door, aware that he was now getting up and she snatched the key from the inside lock of the room and pulled open the door. Darting outside, she turned in time to see the Governor back on his feet and coming for her and she slammed the door closed, making quick work of locking it once again, taking the key with her as she stumbled back away from it.

She flinched when something slammed against the solid wooden door, flinched again when she heard the enraged yells of the Governor. Her body shook with disbelief and horror over what had happened and she struggled to catch her breath. Wiping the blood from her mouth, and what she could feel running down her face she turned and quickly began making her way towards the exit again. Bursting out of the door she stumbled to a quick stop, wide eyes taking in the armed guard keeping watch outside the building.

It was Martinez and after one look at her he began to turn his gun in her direction. Sara felt her mouth open to say something but no words came forward, nothing happened. Swallowing down the lump in her throat she took a step back ready to run when Martinez fell to the ground with a violent thump, standing behind him was Merle looking rather pleased with himself until he saw the state she was in.

"Grace." Sara said, looking from Martinez to him. Merle nodded and waved at her to follow him and she did, finding that thankfully her legs still worked, even if everything else was still recovering from the beating she'd just taken. As she reached Merle's side she paused and looked down at Martinez, crouching down quickly to pull the M16 rifle in his hands, into her own. Going through his pockets she managed to grab three more mags before standing up beside Merle. "Take me to my daughter."

Merle nodded, ushering her ahead as she slipped the mags into her pockets. The beat up blonde woman hurried forward, her ears still ringing from the blow to her head. Pushing on though she focused only on getting out of here and when Merle led her to one of the back blockades, with the century that had been on duty dead on the road, she paused and looked at him with wide eyes. "You left Grace out there?" she asked, shaking now as she stepped towards the fence he was pulling away.

"Don't worry Mama she's safe. Down this road, half a mile there's an Atlanta police car. She's in the boot, she's safe…" he assured Sara as she went to respond in outrage. "I didn't lock it, she's a smart girl she tied it closed from the inside. She's waiting for you…you need to hurry." Sara moved towards the fence then stopped, looking at Merle and shaking her head.

"You're not coming?" she asked in disbelief, glancing over her shoulder then back to Merle she felt a sudden surge of fear for him. "You know what he is, you can't stay here…"

"I need to find my brother…one way or another it's gonna be you or me. Least I can do is stay here, make sure you can get a good head start…" he said and Sara understood. If she found Daryl then Merle would follow, if he stayed here there was a chance he could find his brother out on runs too. That and he was giving both her and Grace a chance, a chance to run and get far away from here. Stepping forward she wrapped her free arm around Merle's shoulders and hugged him.

"Thank you." She whispered, blinking back the tears in her eyes. "Stay safe." She pulled away and lightly squeezed his hand, returning the small smile he gave her. Taking a breath she squeezed through the fence onto the other side.

"Mama, don't forget. Channel 10, every day at sundown, be ready." He told her gruffly and Sara nodded taking a step back onto the road. "Good luck." He called out in a hushed whisper, his face then disappearing back behind the fence as the plank of wood was secured once more.

Sara nodded her head to herself before turning on her heel and quickly moving down the road. Careful to keep an eye on everything she forced herself to move quicker, to ignore the pounding in her head and dull ache on both her throat and her wrist. The handcuffs the Governor had attempted to put on her, still dangled tightly from the one arm, the cool metal of the remaining loose cuff swinging as the Mother began to run needing to get to her daughter.

 _ **-0-**_

Grace burrowed back deeper into the boot of the car, her little body trembling as the growling outside grew louder. The car shook, bounced as bodies and hands slammed against the metal, fingernails clawing at the paintwork trying to get inside. She fearfully looked at the scarf she'd used to tie the boot closed, terrified it would loosen. Pressing her doll against her mouth, she hugged her arms tighter against her little body, let out a little cry and closed her eyes tightly, "Mommy." She whispered, letting out a terrified scream when there was a crash against the boot.

The car suddenly stopped moving and she listened carefully, holding her breath. Something was happening outside but she didn't move, didn't dare. She was doing what Merle had told her, she was staying quiet, not moving and waiting. Something was happening however, fighting. The walkers grew quieter and after a few moments, there was complete silence. Still she didn't move and held her breath just to be extra cautious but let out a small cry when there was knocking against the boot.

"Grace, baby open up."

"Mommy." Grace cried, her little body shuffling towards the opening of the boot and quickly using her small fingers to carefully unravel the knot. The boot opened and Sara was reaching inside to pull her daughter out, holding her close. "I did just like Merle told me."

"I know you did baby girl." Sara breathed, allowing herself a few more moments before she lowered Grace back to the ground. "We have to go." She said, knowing there was every chance the Governor was out of that room now and they needed some distance between them and Woodbury. Reaching into the boot she plucked both bags out and swung one over her shoulder and the other onto her back. Tucking her knife away, she picked up the gun she'd taken from Martinez and reached out for Grace's hand before leading the little girl down the road.

"Mommy you're bleedin'." Grace pointed out as she held onto her Mom's hand, eyeing the cuff that was tightly locked around Sara's wrist. Sara glanced over her shoulder and gently tugged Grace's hand.

"It's okay baby come on we gotta get further away." She urged the young girl, who to her credit let the matter that her Mom was injured drop. She knew the danger they were in, and as much as she was worried for her Mom, she knew they had to get away. So holding tighter to Sara's hand and holding Esmeralda tighter against her chest, she began to run beside her Mom.

How long they were moving for, Sara didn't know. All she did know was wither every little bit more they moved away from Woodbury, the more adrenaline began to seep out of her system, her body beginning to ache from the beating she'd taken back in that room with the Governor. She felt exhausted, bruised and most of all confused as to what her next step was. Grace was growing tired as well, her little legs beginning to slow as the hours ticked by.

Realizing that her daughter needed a break, Sara found an abandoned truck and they both got inside. After blocking out the windows she allowed her daughter to get some much needed shut eye before the sun was due to come up. She desired sleep herself but instead found herself keeping watch, her gun held tightly in her hands, resting neatly on her lap. Her wrist ached, the pain greater than what she felt throughout the rest of her body. The cuff was digging into her wrist, piercing the skin. She knew she needed it off but had no way of doing so, so instead she just prayed she found a way soon. The last thing she wanted was an infection.

When it happened she didn't know but Sara had allowed her eyes to close and when she awoke, the sun was shining through the crack in the truck window. Straightening up in her seat, she peeled back the blankets blocking the window and took a peek outside. The road was clear as far as she could tell, the sun had obviously been up a couple of hours. Closing her eyes, the blonde shook her head and glanced down at her daughter who was still sound asleep. Smiling softly, Sara ran a hand over the little girls blonde curls before turning to look out the window again.

Taking a sip of the water from her bag, the Mother opened the truck door as quietly as she could and slipped out, gun in hand. No sooner had she closed the truck door however, did three incredibly decayed walkers come slouching from around the back of the vehicle. Tucking her gun behind her back, Sara grabbed her knife from her belt and took down the closest but underestimated how close the second had been and instead found her body once more slammed against the truck door.

Using all her strength she managed to keep the one walker at bay but the third was closing in. Pushing harder against the walker, she brought the knife up piercing its skull just in time to see the third walker being halted in its tracks by an axe through the skull. With wide eyes, Sara pushed the now dead walker off her and turned to her rescuer, her mind shooting to dangerous places as she eyed the two strangers now stood in front of her. She didn't recognise them from Woodbury but that didn't mean they weren't from there. As the larger man took a step towards her, Sara quickly brought her gun from around her back and aimed it squarely at his chest.

"Stay where you are." She growled, her eyes darting between them. "Who are you? Did he send you to finish the job?" she asked, taking in their confused expressions.

"Who is _'he'_?" the dark skinned woman in front of her asked her whole stance and expression one of genuine confusion. Sara shook her head, sparing a brief glance towards the truck where she knew Grace was now sat up, huddled against her seat listening to what was happening. The woman, holding up her hands took a small step forward and gave Sara a small smile, exchanging a brief look of understanding with the tall, muscular man beside her, before her eyes refocused on Sara. "It's okay. We're not gonna hurt you. My names Sasha and this is my brother Tyreese."

 _ **-0-**_

 _ **Again. Overtime is kicking my very tired bottom but I got this out for you guys before I run to hunker down in bed. Hopefully you guys like it.**_

 _ **I will say, we are extremely close to Rick now. I've introduced Sasha and Tyreese early I know but it works for the story. Rick is right around the corner now stick around for the next chapter and we'll be seeing those familiar faces again.**_

 _ **The story has received an incredible amount of attention. A lot of people have added it to their alerts, a a good few people have reviewed. I'm going to ask for those silent readers to maybe show us some love by speaking up. What is it you like so about this so far? Is there anything you're looking forward to seeing? Give us some predictions. Remember folks, reviews are love and I really love hearing what you have to say.**_

 _Kirstin – Poor Carl indeed. Poor kid barely knew Lori, being ripped away from the only Mother he's ever known and his little sister deeply affected him. Especially since as far as he is concerned, they're dead. Keep reading to see what happens next, all I'll say is I'm very excited now she's out of Woodbury!_

 _Amelia Mikaelhey – Thanks for a lovely review. Saying it was one of the best you've read made me really smile and feel good about this story. I love the fact that you guys are enjoying this journey as much as me. Hope to hear from you soon._

 _King and the Lionhearted – So you should be scared! Jokes! It was scary but alas, thanks to Rick's training she managed to get out of that sticky situation before it got too dark. They'll meet again soon and like you I cannot wait! I will tell you….it's closer than you think!_

 _xxDreamWalkerxx – I think we all are, that scene is going to be so emotional I can see it now. I like you guys cannot wait, glad it's getting closer to be honest._

 _Hanna West – The Governor is a very scary dude and slightly psychotic. I hope this satisfied that excitement and terror you had for this scene. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Can't wait to hear from you again._

 _Angelicedg – Put your fears to rest. There was no way she was going down without a fight, not when her little girl needed her. Not when there's a chance she could find Carl. The Governor got what was coming to him I think. Hope you enjoyed the update._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

 _You're so far away  
_ _Far away from me  
_ _Is it starting to break  
_ _Underneath my feet?  
_ _You're so far away  
_ _Am I just out of reach?_

 _ **Out of Reach - Matthew Perryman Jones**_

 _ **-0-**_

 _Rick rarely drank. Tonight however he was making an exception. It had been an extremely long and trying shift, throw in the fact his ex-wife was back in town with his ex-best friend, who was now also working in the same office as him and Rick doubted anyone could hold the drinking against him. That being said he wasn't throwing it back, he was taking his time and two hours after returning home he was only on his third glass of whiskey._

 _The clock read it was somewhere past mid-night, and his body ached for bed, ached to be next to his beautiful wife sleeping. His mind however, had other ideas and refused to even entertain the idea of sleep. So for now he just sat at the kitchen table, staring blankly at the court order sent to him by Lori seeking rights over seeing Carl._

 _As if she had any right._

" _Hey, what are you doing sat on your own?" Rick looked up as his wife stepped into the kitchen and half smiled and the sleep look on her face. Right now she was dressed in one of his dress shirts, and in his eyes was at her most beautiful. Rick watched as she stepped further into the kitchen, her eyes landing on the forms spread out in front of him and the open bottle of whiskey._

 _Sara wasn't sure what had woken her, but upon feeling the cold space next to her she chanced a look at the clock and frowned, knowing Rick had been due back hours ago. After climbing out of bed and checking in on both Grace and Carl, she'd spotted the faint glow from the kitchen and headed down to investigate. Now she was here she was just glad she'd awoken when she had._

" _Too much on my mind darlin', didn't want to risk wakin' you up." He told her truthfully, watching as she smiled softly and made her way around the table, coming to a stop beside him. The beautiful blonde, leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips, lingering for a moment before pulling back a fraction._

" _I wouldn't have minded, sure we could have worked together to take your mind off this rubbish," she said, waving a hand at the paperwork. Rick smirked, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close so his head rested against her chest. Sara smiled, her arm wrapping around his shoulder as her other lightly caressed his hair. "You're not worried are you?" she asked softly._

" _Any good judge would throw this out but…I don't know they seem pretty confident." Rick said with a sigh, caressing her hip and taking the comfort she was offering him._

" _Yeah well, she's pretty sure she has rights to Carl but, all anyone is going to see is a Mother who walked out on her family, to be with her husband's best friend." Sara said, unable to grasp what would possess a Mother, any Mother to do that to a child. "She hasn't bothered trying to get in contact with him at all since she left Rick, she's in for a shock, and just you wait. No self-respecting judge will grant her rights of any kind." She said confidently. Besides, as far as Sara was concerned she was Carl's Mom and would fight tooth and nail against the woman who thought she could come in and take him from his family._

 _Shaking her head she pulled away from Rick, enough to push the bottle, glass and the papers away from him before turning to straddle his lap. Ricks hands were automatically on her waist as Sara cupped his face and leaned in to kiss him deeply. Rick immediately responded, holding her tighter against him and meeting her kiss hungrily. As his lips glided over her silky smooth thighs and came to rest under her shirt, on her hips Sara broke the kiss. "Come to bed." She said softly, her lips moving over his jaw before she lightly nipped at the sensitive spot just below his ear._

 _Rick groaned against her neck and with no effort at all he stood, loving how her legs automatically locked around his hips. She held onto him as he easily carried her through the house, her lips never ceasing from the attention they were giving to his ear lobe. "Keep that up darlin' we ain't makin' it to the bedroom." He teased, reaching the top of the stairs. Sara laughed softly in his ear, silently happy she'd managed to distract Rick from the drama that was his ex-wife._

" _My apologies Officer." She whispered her lips meeting his as he kicked closed the bedroom door and moved them quickly to the bed, never releasing his hold on her as he lay her down. Rick climbed over his wife and unbuttoned the last few buttons of her shirt, trailing hot, open mouthed kisses over her stomach, slowly working his way up over her chest, her neck and then finally her lips, kissing her deeply._

" _You're a beautiful woman Mrs Grimes." Rick teased as he broke the kiss, shedding his own shirt and tossing it aside. Sara smiled, laid out in front of him unabashedly she sat up enough to toss aside the rest of her shirt before slowly moving her hands down his chest, letting them fall to his belt. Biting her lip in a way he always loved, Sara looked up at him and gave his belt a tug._

" _You're not too bad yourself Mr Grimes. Now shut up and get the rest of those clothes off,"_

 _ **That**_ had been the last night they'd spent together.

The day after, he'd been shot, never getting the chance to see her again. All he had left was the memory of that night, of their life together. The scary part was that even though her face was permanently etched inside his mind, he was forgetting the sound of her voice, her laugh. He was forgetting those things and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't hang on to them. He feared he'd soon forget what she looked like as well and then both she and Grace would truly be gone.

Rick could still feel the ghost of her touch; almost taste her on his lips when he slept. He missed her warmth and that feeling of home whenever he was with her. He just missed her, so much that even now it physically pained him to know she was gone.

He had to push on though. It's what she would have wanted and it's what he had to do for Carl.

They'd left the storage containers a couple months ago now and happened upon a prison. It had been perfect, it had walls, fences, security. The second he had seen it Rick knew they'd be making a go of building a life here, they needed to, they couldn't keep running. They'd taken the prison with the ease of a group who'd fought together and survived together this long. They were in sync when they moved everyone knew what they were doing and everyone had a job, which made the latest incident one that could have easily been avoided.

Hershel had been bit. Rick had then used an axe to cut off the older man's leg. He wasn't sure what had made hi do it but he did it and by some miracle it had worked and the old man had survived. Although Rick was grateful Hershel had survived, he could also see the risks now facing their group. If they were forced to run, Hershel would slow them down…as much as Rick hated to he had to agree with Shane on that. Unlike Shane however Rick hadn't been so ready to let Hershel just go.

"What happened in that hallway is on you." Rick spat at his former friend. Shane squared up to him, looking for a fight; one Rick was all but ready to give him. Glenn however stood in between them.

"Come on guys. You really think this is the time?" he asked, trying to keep the peace. Glenn understood that things between Shane and Rick were bad, he didn't exactly know why but he knew that right now as a group they had too much going on, they didn't need these two finally coming to blows. Shane though scoffed and shoved the young man out of the way a little too roughly.

"I think this is exactly the time. So come on Rick, you wanna blame me for the old man getting bit too? How about Jaquai and Patricia? Let's not forget…" Shane was cut off when Rick quickly squared up to him, only an inch in-between their bodies.

"Don't! Don't you fuckin' mention their names! He's our only medic, you need him for when Lori finally gives birth, he shouldn't have been out there!" Rick reminded Shane, shutting him down before he could as so much as mention Sara and Grace. Rick was barely holding himself back from killing the man in front of him, he knew if Shane so much as uttered his wife's name, he was dead.

"Well what did ya want me to do Rick? Handcuff him to the cell door? He's a grown man, he wanted to come, maybe instead of standin' here blamin' me you need to go in there and have a word with him. Tell him he's a fuckin' idiot for wanderin' off on his own like that." Shane threw back at Rick, not ready to back down or admit that he had been wrong to let Hershel go. He wasn't ready to admit that he had been wrong about a lot of things, he'd admitted as much out loud, standing by his decision at the beginning when he'd left Sara.

"He almost died. What if we hadn't been able to save him, what were you going to do when Lori finally goes into labor huh Shane?" Rick asked, unable to believe the stubbornness of this guy.

"Well maybe you and the redneck shouldn't have wandered off; maybe ya could have held his hand." Shane spat and Rick had to turn away quickly in order to stop Daryl who had charged over, from hitting Shane however satisfying it would have been. "Oh what, I hurt ya feelin's?" Shane asked Daryl, chuckling away to himself in a way which made Rick tempted to let Daryl have a go at him.

"Go!" Rick barked at Shane who smirked and threw his hands up in mock surrender before turning around and heading back into the cells. Rick gave Daryl a slight push and rubbed the back of his neck, his incredibly tensed from the confrontation. Looking around at Glenna and T-Dog, Rick sighed. "I'm gonna go out, check out the perimeter, see what damage we're lookin at around back." He said, not waiting for a response before heading for the gate, ready to take one of the cars.

"Hold up, I'm comin'." Daryl called after him, just as eager to get out and away from Shane before he put the prick down for good. Rick nodded, signalling to Carol at the bottom to get ready to open the gate before sliding into the car and starting the engine.

 _ **-0-**_

"Let the wind blow high, let the wind blow, as through the streets in my kilt I go, all the lassies say hello, Donald where's your trousers…"

Sara eyed her daughter in amusement, and laughed softly when she caught the looks on both Tyreese and Sasha's faces. Shaking her head she looked down at the stream again and carried on rinsing the dried blood off her wrist, wincing only slightly from the sting on the injury she'd sustained thanks to handcuffs she was still unable to get off. "Don't look at me, her Father taught her that song." Sara said fondly, never understanding how they'd gotten started with the song but remembering how they both used to drive her crazy with it.

"What did they have an aversion to Humpty Dumpty?" asked Sasha jokingly, making Sara laugh as she dried her hands and arms.

"Only babies sing Humpty Dumpty." Sara replied, giving Sasha a look that hinted at her having had this same conversation before. Sasha chuckled again before proceeding to rinse out her shirt, chancing a look over at her brother who was sat on a log talking to Grace. He'd always had a weakness for kids, desired his own but Sasha knew he was thankful he hadn't had any now, not with things like they were but he had taken a shine to Grace and her to him as well.

The day they'd met, Sara had warned them off heading the way she'd just come from. She hadn't bothered to hide the truth from them and had told them who the Governor was and what he was capable of. Although they'd been amazed at the news that there was a town full of people out there, Sasha and Tyreese had decided to stay with her and Grace and Sara found she was thankful for that. She'd been wary about new people but they were good, she knew that now and the few days they'd been together they'd fought to survive, together. It had been three days and she already trusted them more than she had anyone in a long time.

Plus Grace adored Tyreese, which in itself was adorable and a huge part of why Sara found it so easy to trust the duo.

"Heads up!"

Tyreese's voice brought her crashing back into the present and had her on instant alert. Sara quickly stood and stepped aside in time for a walker to fall into where she'd just been. Quickly reaching for her knife she stabbed through the side of its head but was forced to move back as more kept coming, falling down the slight embankment. Snatching her bag off the ground, Sara followed Sasha through the stream to the other side where Tyreese and Grace where.

"We gotta move, go!" Sasha ordered and everyone began to run, but there were more coming from three different directions. Sara cursed quietly, grabbing Grace's hand and holding her close as they all began running in the only clear direction left to them now. They were all exhausted but they pushed on regardless of how their bodies were protesting. There'd been no rest bite over the last few days, everywhere they turned there were walkers and only yesterday, the Governor's people.

They'd been on the road when the roar of an engine had sounded, alerting them to the fast approach of someone, friend or foe they didn't know. After what Sara had learned about the Governor though, and in turn told Sasha and Tyreese, they'd all agreed to hide before the car appeared and quickly ducked into the trees. The car had stopped on the road meters from where the group was hiding. Doors opened, boots hit gravel and then his voice sounded. Sara felt her stomach recoil, her arms instinctively locking around her daughter. However upon determining that the figures they'd seen must have been walkers, the Governor and his men shot into the trees before climbing back into their truck and driving away.

It had been a close call and the group had decided that being on the road was too risky and opted instead to stay in the woods. Hopefully find a cabin further on, some fresh water, supplies. That had been the plan, as it turned out; staying in the woods hadn't been a great idea. Then again, walkers were bound to show up no matter where they were.

A small hand slipped out of hers and Sara skidded to a stop, wasting no time to run back a meter or so and grab hold of her daughter again. The little girl cried as she tried to get up off the ground against which she'd just fell, her little knees bleeding. Tyreese was by her side in an instant and scooping her up onto his back and ushering Sara forward. With no other choice than to run, Sara carried on moving, knowing she'd have plenty of time to check Grace's small injuries out later.

"Hey wait, what's that…?" Tyreese asked as they came to a brief stop. Sara glanced back, seeing there was a good amount of distance between them and the walkers before turning to see what the man was referring too, as did Sasha. In the distance they could see some kind of grey building, a tower maybe. Sara wasn't sure and right now didn't care, "A building, could be safe we should go that way." He said, and Sara and Sasha shook their heads.

"We agreed East…" Sara reminded him, chancing a look behind them again, tightening her hold on the gun she had stolen from Martinez. Tyreese shook his head and pointed to the building in the distance again.

"We need to regroup, wait them out otherwise we ain't makin' it East." He said passionately and Sara looked at Sasha who looked as doubtful as her. However when the walkers slowly began to drawer closer the women were left with no option but to go, giving Tyreese a small nod. The big man smiled and turned, rushing forwards with both Sara and Sasha hot on his tail.

Sara knew he was right, deep down she did but she didn't like the idea of them stopping or chancing it at a place they couldn't get a good look at. For all they knew this place was teaming with walkers and all they were doing was leaving themselves with no way out. However she also knew that they couldn't carry on like this, their luck would have soon run out. The way the walkers were seemingly banding together in the woods back there, it would have only been a matter of time before they had been cornered with nowhere left to run.

"Can you see it? What is it?" Sasha asked him as they weaved through the trees. Sara watched Grace, who had since stopped crying, strain upwards in order to see what she could.

"It's big. Looks like a hospital or a jail maybe?" she said a little unsure. Sara frowned, not liking the idea of either one of those. Both where places she'd long since tried to avoid, the hospitals for obvious reasons and the prisons because, well she knew there was no way most of the prisoners would have been let out when shit hit the fan. If that's what it turned out this place was, she wasn't risking it and there was no way she was taking Grace inside.

The group broke through the trees and were met with the sheer size of the building to which they'd been running towards. There was no doubt in Sara's mind what it was and the blonde shook her head as Tyreese kept moving towards it. "No, Tyreese we don't know what's in there." She called out to the other man . He stopped as they neared the fencing and turned to face her.

"We know what's out here." He reminded her and both Sara and Sasha looked over their shoulders towards the bushes and the tree line, the sounds of the walkers drawing closer. Glancing at the building again it was plain to see there'd been some kind of explosion that had blown a huge hole in the back, which also meant they had no idea how many walkers had gotten in.

"No. This is a mistake and I can't risk taking Grace in there. Those cell blocks are goin' to be teaming with them…" she argued, glancing at Sasha hoping for some kind of back up. The other woman took a step towards her brother, her shovel in hand as she glanced past him at the building.

"She's right. For all we know the halls are full of those things." She told him and Tyreese glanced between her and Sara as though they were insane for even thinking that this was a bad idea.

"What we do know is there's a hoard of them chasing us right now. We can't outrun them forever." He argued, taking a step back towards the rubble. "I'm goin' in. We find a safe place to hide and wait it out…"

"You ain't goin' nowhere."

All three adults spun around weapons raised. Grace slid down off Tyreese's back and hugged his legs from behind, peeking out to see what was happening. A gruff looking man was stood some 10 meters away from them with a crossbow aimed squarely at them. "We don't want any trouble; we're just lookin' for a place to hold up away from those dead things on our tail." Tyreese called out; trying to diffuse the suddenly tense situation they found themselves in.

"Why don't you put those guns down then, let's talk." Came another voice, the figure stepping out from a large piece of debris. A gun trained steadily on them. Sara frowned from behind her gun, the voice triggering something deep within her before it went away again. Keeping her finger on the trigger she refused to lower the gun, not prepared to surrender to anyone again. "You don't have very many choices here, lower the…"

"Daddy!"

The excited squeal of her daughter knocked her sideways, and before she could react or reach out and stop her, Grace was moving faster than her legs could carry her towards the man. Sara watched, as if in a dream as the man dropped to his knees and caught the girl, taking the full brunt force of her impact and holding her tightly against him.

The man with the crossbow lowered his weapon and took in the scene with confusion. Sara felt the eyes of Tyreese and Sasha on her but didn't react as she slowly lowered her gun, trying her best to register what it was her eyes were seeing. Her heart beat wildly against her chest, the air rushed out of her lungs as the man slowly looked up and noticed her, the entire world stopping.

"Rick?"

 _ **-0-**_

 _ **Here we have it. Hope you guys enjoy and like it enough to let me know your thoughts. I am super excited to post the next chapter hence why this one is so short, it seemed like the best place to leave it. But here we have it, finally on the reunion which will hit us the beginning of the next chapter.**_

 _ **How are you guys feeling about the finale? I don't get to see it till tomorrow as it only airs for us then but I am incredibly nervous, both excited and worried at the same time.**_

 _ **If you're a guest reviewing, please leave a name so I can respond to you properly, otherwise thanks for taking the time to leave me a message. I love hearing what you guys think.**_

 _angelicedg – You're excited for the reunion scene? You have no idea how excited I am for it! Can't wait to post the next chapter._

 _AnikaHerondale – I am so glad you think so. I try so hard to keep my characters rounded and as realistic as possible. Like you I can't wait for her to meet up with them either, I got teary eyed writing it if I'm being honest with you!_

 _King and the lionhearted – Don't scream! Okay…scream…I cried writing the reunion between the whole family I'll admit._

 _NicoleR85 – Thanks for leaving the review! So happy to know you like the story, I love writing it and figuring out what's coming next, it's so exciting for me and hopefully you guys._

 _Guests – Thank you all for my reviews. I appreciate you all taking the time out to leave me a message they do make my day. One of you said you enjoy the flashbacks to which I'm glad because I wanted everyone to get a better idea of these two as a couple before the apocalypse._


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN – This chapter will contain content Rated M for scenes some of you may not be comfortable with at the end. If you're one of those, please don't finish the chapter. If you're not, please enjoy.**_

 **Chapter Six**

 _There's no taking back  
_ _What we've got it's too strong  
_ _We've had each other's back for too long  
_ _There's no breaking up this time._

 _ **All in - Lifehouse**_

 ** _-0-_**

" _Rick?"_

The world had stopped moving, everything had fallen away and all that was left was the man in front of her, the man she had long since thought dead. The man she hadn't allowed herself to believe was alive, yet there he was holding their daughter tightly and staring back at her. Rick was here, he was alive and Sara felt the crushing realisation of that hitting her and for a moment she couldn't breathe, she couldn't move or even feel her own body.

Rick was standing now, their daughter still tucked tightly against his side. Unlike Sara though, he could move and he was. Part of his mind was screaming that this was a dream, that any minute now he'd wake up in the cells and this was just some cruel trick of his mind. "Sara?" he whispered her name, his heart pounding in his chest, tears in his eyes. With four large strides he closed the distance between himself and his wife quickly, coming to a stop right in front of her.

Sara took a sharp breath in as he came to a stop in front of her and she was faced with the full life sized, solid figure of her once believed dead husband. A trembling hand reached up slowly towards his cheek, and when she felt him beneath her palm, a sob tore out of her chest and she launched herself against his chest. Ricks free arm locked around her as he pressed his face into her hair, holding her tight against him. Grace laid her head against her Dad's shoulder and stroked the top of her Mom's head.

Sara's fingers gripped the back of Rick's shirt tightly, scared to let him go again. "They said you were dead, that you died in the hospital…" she cried, her whole body shaking still too scared to believe that it was Rick's body she was being held against. Pulling away enough to look at him, she took in every inch of his face watching as he smiled softly, cupping her cheek with his hand as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I was darlin' I…."

"Hey Rick, hate to cut this reunion short but we got visitors." The other man who'd appeared first with the crossbow, moved forward quickly waving at Tyreese and Sasha to move.

Looking over her shoulder, Sara saw the walkers finally catching up with them and the reunion with her husband was cut short quicker than it had begun. Ricks guiding hand was on her shoulder, ushering her to move whilst he kept hold of their daughter. Sara quickly grabbed her gun, pulling it to the front of her body before following the others. Fear made her stay close to Rick, checking constantly to make sure he was still there and he hadn't disappeared after all, it wouldn't be the first time she'd hallucinated him being here. Rick seemed to have the same idea because he made sure he was always touching her.

The man with the crossbow led them to a truck and took on a stray walker as Tyreese and Sasha jumped into the bed of the truck. Rick guided Sara to the driver's door, to which she opened it and jumped inside shuffling over to make room for her daughter and Rick. Once the door was slammed shut and the crossbow man was in the bed with the other two, Rick started the engine and sped away in time to avoid the herd.

Holding onto her daughter, Sara looked across to Rick and felt the tears spill over her cheeks. Rick smiled and reached out to take her hand in his, squeezing it tightly but in a way she needed. Releasing a small breath she looked around, "Where are we going?" she asked softly, hearing the slight tremor in her own voice.

"Around front. We cleared out a cell block. It's safe." He assured her, taking his eyes off the track for a moment to look at her again. He lifted their joined hands and kissed her knuckles lovingly before his eyes caught sight of her wrist. Frowning, Rick lowered her hand to look at the cuff that was still attached to her and looked at her again. "What…?"

"Not now…I just got you back. I don't wanna talk about it yet." She told him, all the pain of the cuff and the last few days forgotten. She had Rick back, by some miracle of God she did and she didn't want to darken any of this with mentions of the Governor. Grace looked at her Mom's arm though and frowned, before curling tighter into her side.

"He's a bad man." She said quietly and Sara looked at Rick, watching an expression flood his face. It was one that promised they would be talking more about it later; but for right now his focus was the road. Sara closed her eyes and let her head rest on top of her daughter, holding her close whilst still maintaining her hold on Rick's hand.

She watched through the window as they took a wide route around the prison; no doubt in order to draw the walkers far away. Soon enough they were approaching some gates quickly and Rick pressed on the horn, and with the quick work of the woman on watch they started opening. They drove through the gates and they were quickly closed behind them. Driving up dirt path, they reached another set of gates which again were opened upon their approach. All too soon the car was coming to a stop and people were piling out from inside and closing in on the truck.

"It's okay. Come on." Rick assured her and after looking at him for a moment Sara nodded slowly and released her hold on Grace. Rick scooped the little girl into his arms and climbed out the driver's side of the truck and after a moment's hesitation, Sara followed out of her side thankful both Sasha and Tyreese were there to meet her looking wary also.

"So that's the husband?" Sasha said quietly and Sara smiled disbelief written all over her face. She looked across at Rick as he began to make his way around to her and nodded her head to Sasha.

"That's him." She said softly, feeling the happiest she had in a long time. There was however one person missing and she had no idea how to tell Rick that she'd lost their son. Stepping up to meet Rick she found herself immediately tucked into his side as they were faced with the rest of what she assumed was his group and he began to introduce them.

"Guys this is Sara, my wife and this little princess right here…" he bounced Grace on his hip making the young girl laugh lightly as she held onto her Dad. "Is Grace, my daughter and um, sorry I didn't catch your names." He said, finally looking to the others he had brought along. Sara smiled and looked at her friends,

"This is Sasha and Tyreese, they're our friends." She said, earning a smile off the two as they waved to the group. Sara opened her mouth to say her own hello when her world ceased moving for the second time that day and all the air was forced out of her lungs. Her heartbeat sounded loudly in her ears as she looked passed the group to the trio that had just wandered out into the courtyard, her eyes fixed slowly on the slightly older but unmistakable face of her son. "Carl…" she breathed.

The young boy had come out in hopes of escaping Shane and Lori and their constant hovering and had been attracted to the commotion. Though as he stepped closer to the scene his steps slowed to a stop and his eyes widened in disbelief. Everything slowed down as he looked from the little girl in his Dad's arms to the woman tucked against his side. _'Carl.'_ When he heard his name whispered like that, the young boy cried out and rushed forwards. "Mom!" he yelled.

Sara was out of Rick's arms before he realized what was happening, watching as his wife pushed past Maggie and Glenn to meet Carl. The 13 year old crashed into his Mother, his arms locking tightly around her back, his hat falling to the floor. Sara wrapped her arms around her son and cried, holding him tightly to her. "We searched everywhere…" She struggled not to collapse under the overwhelming amount of happiness coursing through her body at the moment. "I found you…I found you…" she cried, pressing her face against his hair.

Her eyes caught on the two solitary figures standing off side and she felt her Motherly instincts to protect what was hers flare up. With her heart ready to burst from happiness she focused on that, that she had her whole family back together again. Carl was here, safe in her arms and she was going to fight like hell to make sure he never went away again.

"Carl! There you are. We've been looking everywhere for you." Grace exclaimed as though it had been the most inconvenient thing in the world, shaking her head in annoyance. Against her chest Sara felt Carl laugh, his hold on her never loosening as he looked up at his baby sister.

"Sorry squid." He chuckled as Rick approached. Sara smiled against his head, turning to look at Rick as he reached her, his arm snaking around the embracing Mother and son, holding onto them. Closing her eyes Sara let her head rest against his shoulder and sighed softly, not caring that all eyes were on them. She was finally back with her family, she was finally home…

And they were never going anywhere again.

 _ **-0-**_

"He's dangerous, a sociopath…the people of that town are blind to it though."

Sara winced as the man Rick had called T-Dog attempted to remove the cuff on her wrist. With how tight it was around her wrist, they couldn't risk cutting so instead he had improvised and was trying to jimmy it open with a bent bobby pin. Rick stood by her side anxiously, listening intently to her talking about this man called the Governor. "And he did this? To you?" he asked, looking at her wrist and then the bruises around her throat.

"He knew I was trying to leave. Had every intention of convincing me to stay and if that didn't work, kill me and try to have some fun before doing it." She explained, inhaling sharply as the cuff finally opened and clattered to the table. "Thank you." She said to Tyreese, cradling her hand against her chest. Rick bristled, his fists clenched in anger as he looked at her wrist.

"How did you get away?" Glenn asked, leaning forward against the table and Sara was grateful for the distraction the questions were providing. She needed something to distract from staring at Lori and Shane and voicing exactly what she thought of them.

"I had a good teacher…" she said, shooting a small look at Rick before smiling softly. "I fought back, managed to get out and lock him in a room. I met Merle outside and he…."

"Wait Merle…?" Glenn looked up at Rick then to the man with the crossbow, who had stepped forward his hard gaze on Sara. "One hand?" Glenn asked and Sara frowned at the unusual question but at the same time she got the immediate impression that they knew Merle. Then like a freight train it hit her and she hated herself for being so slow, however with everything going on could you really blame her. Slowly she looked over to the man with the crossbow and she blew out a breath.

"You're Daryl? Merle's brother?" she said, all the pieces suddenly falling into place. She felt a surge of happiness that not only did she have her family back, but that she'd also managed to find the other half of Merle's too. "He said you were alive."

"Where is he?" The man she now knew to be Daryl as he stepped forward. Reaching into her bag, Sara pulled out her walkie talkie and laid it on the table.

"He stayed behind to give us our best shot. The Governor trusts him, Merle's in the inner circle, he thought his best chance of finding you was staying behind and using the resources offered to him there. But…" she trailed off and touched the walkie. "…he told me to turn this on for two minutes every day at sunset and he'll be in touch when he can. He'll come, when he knows where you are, he'll come." She said confidently. Merle hadn't been in touch yet but she knew he would, she had confidence in the man who had risked his life to save both hers and Grace's.

Daryl and Rick shared a look, both wanting to go to Woodbury for completely different reasons. Rick to pay back the Governor for what he'd done to his wife and Daryl, to get his brother but in that one shared look they both knew what the other was saying. They had to stay. Their main focus now had to be securing their new home, making it safe. They didn't have the resources or the people to go to Woodbury, not if what Sara said was true, that it was heavily fortified.

So for now they'd stay but sooner or later the two groups were going to collide in massive, devastating ways, whether they were prepared or not. The threat was out there, and closer than they had realized. The group now knew they had to be on their guard, prepared for whatever may come their way.

 _ **-0-**_

After Maggie had taken the girls to a cell to clean up, Sara was feeling much more human. It hadn't been the hot shower she craved or the hot bubble bath she missed so dearly, but it was better than nothing. Using only a bucket of water, soap and razors she'd taken from Woodbury, Sara could safely say she was feeling the best she had in a long time. The reaction ignited in Sasha when Sara had given her a razor had been surprising but funny, the other woman holding the small object as though it was the most precious thing in the world.

Carl had hovered outside the cell, reluctant to be parted from his Mom and sister for too long. Sensing this but also feeling the same, Sara made sure to keep the conversation going discovering small snippets of what had occurred over the last 8 months. Some things shook her to her core, but she held back freaking out when Carl told her he had been shot. The man they called Hershel had saved him, Carl was alive and here so she tried to focus on that.

Grace was beyond excited to be sharing a bunk with her big brother, bouncing excitedly on the top bunk and burrowing herself beneath the covers. Her little hand hung over the edge of the bed as she signed I love you to Carl with her fingers. Sara smiled at the interaction watching as Carl returned the gesture. Sara waited till they were both asleep, quietly watching them and marveling over the miracle that happened. She'd found her boy, her children were together again.

Speaking of today's miracle…

She watched quietly as Rick continued to pace across the small space available in his cell. His body was tensed, anxious, poised as if ready for attack, like he was capable of anything. Even in an empty space, with only the two of them there his whole being, commanded the attention of everyone and everything. He was beautiful, damaged but beautiful and she finally had him back. He was alive, he was alive and they were finally back together, after 8 long months.

Sensing he was being watched, Rick stopped and turned sharply to face his wife, his breath once more catching at the sight of her. Sara stood in the doorway, boots in hand, dressed in one of his spare shirts. The shirt fell to her knees in the most adorable manner and his heart squeezed tightly in his chest. She was beautiful and his whole body ached for her, for the distance still between them. They'd been apart far too long, they were now finally alone and he needed her closer but they still had so much to talk about.

"I would have stayed if I had have known. I went to the hospital for supplies for Grace, if I had have known you were…" she shook her head and trailed off as she dropped her boots beside the bed. Rick frowned and moved forwards, reaching out to wrap his arms around her.

"You got out. Survived and kept our daughter alive darlin'. You didn't know…" he assured her quietly, pressing his face in his hair. Sara shook her head, her arms sliding from around his back to rest on his waist, pulling back enough to look at him.

"I should have checked. I shouldn't have gone off what he said but Grace was hurt and Carl was gone, I was alone and I couldn't." she explained, her fingers clenching into fists as she thought about Shane and Lori and their part in all of this. Rick let one of his hands gently brush hair behind her ear, a frown on his face.

"Grace was hurt?" he asked, Sara nodded her head

"Carl was shot?" she threw back at him. Smiling softly she shook her head, "Back at the house before…well walkers came through the patio door, she fell and ended up with glass embedded in her arm, but I took care of her, she's okay." She told him, sighing softly she looked up at him. Her fingers reached up and lightly touched the stubble on his cheek, her eyes taking in every part of him. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"What happened? Where did you go? I went to the house but…" Rick trailed off and shook his head at the horrible memory of his return to their home. Of the blood stained carpet, walls, the shattered glass…

"We left the same day we were separated from Carl. Grace was hurt and I couldn't help her using the kit I had at home. So we waited for the walkers to leave the house, collected our stuff, jumped in the car and drove to the hospital." She explained, replaying over the day in her head…

" _Mommy…"_

" _It's okay peanut, I'll be right back okay." She assured her daughter, ushering the young girl to bed of the car, between the front seats and back. The little girl nodded her head and cuddled her doll close to her chest, her injured arm wrapped tightly in a bandage stemming the bleeding. "You stay there, Mommy will be five minutes, don't move okay." She said quietly, letting her eyes drift to the windows doing a quick safety check making sure they were all locked._

" _I'll be very still I promise." Grace whispered, sniffing back the tears that had been falling. Sara smiled softly down at her daughter, her own eyes glistening with tears. Pressing a kiss to her fingers, she touched Grace's cheek before pulling a blanket from the back seat over the child, making sure to cover her completely._

 _Grabbing the empty bag in the seat beside her, Sara climbed out of the car taking the keys with her as she did so. Locking the car door the Mother looked carefully around the empty car park, before quickly and carefully heading towards the ER entrance of the hospital she had once worked. In her hand she held the gun Rick had kept in a locked case in their bedroom. This was risky and possibly the worst idea she'd ever had, after all the hospital was bound to be teaming with dead, she knew this, but her daughter needed medicine._

 _Stepping through the doors, her senses were immediately assaulted. There was blood stains all over floor, bullet holes in the walls, dead bodies piled on top of each other all un-moving with head injuries, there was the repetitive beeping from the busy dial tone on the phones but aside from that it was quiet. Holding her breath and bracing herself for any kind of attack, the young woman moved quietly through the front of the ER heading for the shelves at the back._

 _Whilst keeping her eye on the entrance and everywhere else, she began grabbing anything she could off the shelves and shoving it into the now open bag in her hand. Grabbing anything from bandages to suture kits she put the bag over her shoulder again and checked her watch. She had a few more minutes to get to the small pharmacy. With her back against the wall she quietly moved down the hallway, trying not to allow the flickering lights distract her._

 _Reaching the room, she looked over the counter seeing it empty. With one last look up and down the hall way, Sara dropped the bag over the counter and hoisted herself up and over it, making quick work of heading to the shelves. Grabbing painkillers, antibiotics, vitamins, insulin, alcohol and iodine, she quickly zipped up her medical bag and turned to leave when an ear piercing scream sounded. With wide eyes she hoisted herself back over the counter and into the hall in time to see a young woman limping around the corner, her leg clearly broken._

 _Sara opened her mouth to call out to her when she saw the walkers quickly closing in behind the limping girl, with that and the various bites scattered along the girls arms and neck Sara stopped herself. The girl saw her and tried to hurry and despite her reservations Sara made to move towards her when the walkers finally caught the girl, taking her down to the ground and feasting. Sara covered her mouth, a sob tearing out of her throat as she stumbled backwards. "I'm so sorry." She whispered, shaking her head and turning, running in the opposite direction down the hall and out the doors._

 _Rushing to the car, she fumbled with her keys, pausing as she reached the car. With tears streaming down her face she looked back at the hospital and up to the floor she knew her husband to have been one. Unable to hold back a sob she shook her head, kissing her fingers and lifting her hand before opening the car and climbing inside. Locking the door behind her, she deposited the bag on the passenger's seat and reached down to take the blanket off Grace. "I'm back baby, time for us to go."_

" _Are we not getting Daddy?" Grace asked sadly, climbing up onto the back seat and laying down. Sara paused, her hands on the wheel as she swallowed back her tears. Taking a breath and composing herself she shook her head_

" _No baby. Daddy's not here anymore."_

"We left, I should have gone in but I was scared. I just…God I missed you so much, I love you." Sara breathed, holding herself close to Rick leaning into his touch as he cupped her cheeks. Rick though shook his head, leaning down to gently press a kiss to her forehead before kissing away her tears. Sara sighed softly as his lips pressed against hers, in a chaste yet passionate kiss before he pulled away enough to look her in the eyes.

"I love you too darlin'. You came back to me." He told her, in no way angry or blaming her for anything that had happened. The fault had not been hers and he was happy she hadn't gone in, he dreaded to think what the hospital was like during the first few days. Forcing it all out of his head he refocused on the woman in his arms, on how much he had missed her, how much he loved her and above all, right now, desired her. They'd been apart far too long.

Their lips met in a slow, deliberate kiss as Rick's calloused hands cupped her face lovingly. He allowed his tongue to trace the shape of her lips before dipping it inside her mouth, seeking out that unique, lovable taste of her. All the dark clouds that had hovered over him, over them both for the last eight months were suddenly being chased away. They were finally coming home.

Her caresses against his skin were almost blistering as her fingers dipped beneath his shirt, pushing it up in a demanding fashion. Smirking into the kiss, Rick pulled away only briefly to pull the shirt up and over his head, carelessly tossing it aside before capturing her mouth again. As Sara's teasing fingertips traced over his athletic form, exploring the confines of his chest, Ricks fingers moved down and under the shirt she wore. His hands began gliding up the length of her lean, toned thigh before coming to rest on her hips, which he gripped tightly, his fingertips dipping into the tops of her panties.

They kissed almost ravenously, like two people who had been dying of hunger as their desire for each other began to eat them both up from the inside. They'd been apart far too long and they both allowed the passion of the moment to consume them both as Ricks hands explored and caressed Sara's sensual form beneath her shirt. His strokes were tender, loving, and laced with such a pleasurable heat that felt like bliss upon her cool body. Rick pulled her shirt up, capturing her lips again once the material was discarded.

The skin on skin contact was incredible as the swell of her breasts pressed against his solid chest, the air around them crackling with electricity. Her nipples were erect with arousal, causing Rick to groan quietly into the curve of her neck, his teeth grazing the sweet little spot there that always drove her crazy. His strong arms circled her waist, clasping her even closer to him as she arched her body against his, the only barriers between them now being her panties and his pants. His throbbing erection strained against the materials, demanding to be free as he arched against her moist core. The friction felt incredible and it granted him barely a second of relief as Sara made that dynamic, whimpering noise he loved so much.

Sara grabbed hold of his pants and tugged gently, silently pleading with Rick to remove one of the last barriers between them. Kneeling down in front of him, she slowly tugged the fabric down his muscular legs, letting him step out of them once they were on the floor. She wanted to touch and explore every part of him exposed to her right now, but her desire for something more outweighed that. Getting to her feet she purposefully brushed against his erection, smiling in satisfaction as he groaned from the touch. The hunger in his eyes as they locked onto hers sent a jolt of heat right to the apex of her thighs.

Pulling her against his body, Rick wrapped his arms around her like a protective cage and lowered them both onto the bunk. In a heartbeat his lips were against hers again, his fingers making quick work of ripping the thin fabric of her panties away from her body. Pulling back to look at her, Rick was mesmerized by the Goddess writhing beneath him. Her smouldering gaze was fixed on him, her eyes bright with arousal as his hand once again began moving down her body, touching and stroking every inch of flesh he could reach.

Their lips came together once more as Rick slowly, almost achingly began driving himself into Sara's willing body inch by agonizing inch. There was no foreplay, no need to take their time, right now they needed to just be together like this, to be one. The feeling of being so completed as they came together once more began to fill both Sara and Rick, with a joy and happiness they'd long since forgotten. This was truly what coming home felt like, all this time apart had done nothing to stifle the passion, desire and love between these two people. If this moment proved anything it was that it was still as raw and as strong as it ever was.

Her tightness hugged him tightly; drowning him in the sensation as he slowly withdrew from her before thrusting back inside, with the same agonizing pace. Sara's hands were on him, clasping him to her and mewling against his lips with every rock of his hips. The force in which their lips moved was almost bruising, as they both began to succumb to the ecstasy that was exploding like fireworks through every single nerve cell in their bodies as his thrusts grew faster and harder.

Sara rocked her hips up meet each thrust of hers, feeling her inner walls already contracting around him as he kissed her harder, trying to muffle the sounds of their lovemaking. Rick could feel his lower back tingling; the base of his cock was beginning to pulse and hum with pleasure and his impending orgasm. Sara breathlessly smiled against his lips, knowing he was close. Her arms wrapped over his shoulders as Ricks wrapped underneath and around her body, holding her closer to him, so close in fact she was sure if it possible they would fuse together. He could feel every breath she took as she smothered the cries erupting from his mouth with her very own.

The orgasm was intense; he could feel his entire body giving itself over to her as she came so suddenly it surprised him. Her walls clenched around him like a tight, velvet fist draining him of everything that he was worth, as he exploded inside of her lithe body. His hips jerked as he chanted her name against her soft, pink, swollen lips. Her heart was beating wildly against his as they slowly, and leisurely came down from the dizzying heights of their climax. He felt so whole once more, being like this with her again, the two of them were meant to be, they were soul mates in every definition of the word.

There was reluctance to part, but when they did Rick lay back down beside her, pulling her body pressed tightly against his; they were holding each other, once more as they gathered the covers around them. No words were needed right now as they looked into each other's eyes, communicating on such a deeper level. Sara leaned up, kissing him sweetly, lazily as her hand traced over the scar on his left shoulder, she was in complete awe of this man holding her, and she thanked God she'd found him finally.

For the first time in a long time there was no fear, no pain, no horror, no world around her, there was only Rick and her. Loving him had always been so easy, they were like two parts of a whole, and they simply fitted each other in ways neither could have imagined was possible. Letting her head come to rest over his chest, listening to the soft thumping of his heart she smiled tiredly and whispered, "I love you," softly into the darkness.

Rick smiled, his arms holding her tighter still, his face buried against the top of her head, his voice barely a whisper, "I love you too."

 ** _-0-_**

 _ **So here we go Rick and Sara are together once more.**_

 _ **Sorry it's been some time since my last update. I've had a lot going on. My Auntie passed away from Cancer and as you can imagine I really haven't felt like doing much of anything. I'm trying to get back into it and posting this chapter was a huge step for me.**_

 _ **Considering how long I made you guys wait, I made this chapter longer than any of my previous so I hope you all enjoyed. We got the reunion in a big way so what did you guys think? She has yet to interact with Shane and Lori but trust me that is coming. I am really excited for that and for the other things coming up in the next few chapters. This chapter is simply the calm before an epically bad storm.**_

 _ **I was hoping to get some input off you guys…how close do you guys prefer I keep to the Canon story of the show?**_

 _Guest – Sorry you had to wait too long, hope you understand why though. Things have been incredibly hard for me at the moment. I've been trying to write but this is the first I've been able to so hopefully there shouldn't be too long between updates. There are plenty of twists ahead and something pretty game changing for the group._

 _Amber0522 – Here's your update, hope you enjoyed it!_

 _King and the Lionhearted – I'm sorry I left you on a cliff hanger it was just the best place to end the chapter. I do hope this chapter made up for that though! Hope to hear off you again soon!_

 _Kirstin – I'm so glad you are enjoying it so far! Thank you for what you said about the characters, I do truly love Sara and I'm excited to be taking you guys along on her journey._

 _Msgemgem – I'm sorry I was so mean! Don't hate me lol I hope this made up for it though! I love the flashbacks, I wanted to show them happy and in love before all this. Their life together before the end of the world was incredibly important for me to build them up as a couple. DO you think they should continue or stop now they are together?_

 _NicoleR85 – I hope the reunions lived up to your expectations. There wasn't much between Carl and Sara aside from the initial reunion but we'll definitely see more of them together in the next chapter._

 _Raysbans4 – Here's the reunion! Hope you enjoyed it! They're finally back together but in no way shape or form are things going to be smooth sailing._

 _Amelia MikaelHey – Thanks for the review! Here's the update you wanted!_

 _Angelicedg – Oh they did so much more than hug ;) but yes they are together again finally and things are set to get even more exciting._

 _Hanna West – Here's your update and reunion, what did you think? I liked that flashback too, I wanted to show how Lori came back into their lives just before the apocalypse. Do you want the flashbacks of their life to continue now they're back together or are you okay with them ending now?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

 _Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight  
_ _Like this city is on fire tonight  
_ _This coculd really be a good life  
_ _A good, good life_

 _ **One Republic – Good Life**_ _._

 _ **-0-**_

Waking up was never a pleasant thing anymore; there was always that initial panic, that feeling of dread coiling in the pit of your stomach. It was almost like your body could never fully relax, never truly surrender to the rest it so greatly needed. With danger surrounding you at every turn however, could a person really be blamed for that? This morning however had proved to be the exception for Sara, who had awoken fully relaxed and only giving herself over to panic for a few moments.

In that brief time between being asleep and fully awake, her body and mind had fought against waking completely. Whilst the lingering scent of her husband lingered on the pillow, experience had taught her not to believe it was real. She'd been terrified, terrified of opening her eyes and finding that no, she was still on the road or Woodbury, Rick was still dead and Carl was still missing. No matter how hard she tried though she couldn't hide away and had finally forced herself to wake up.

What met her was the source of great relief for the blonde. Her husband was no longer in the bed beside her but she was still in the bed they had fallen in last night, still in the small cell and the voices outside were a beautiful reminder that she hadn't been dreaming. Yesterday had happened and with that in mind, she felt a surge of happiness rush through her chest as she sat up in the bed.

She was quick to grab the covers however upon realising her state of undress and cast a wary eye to the cell door. Locating a pile of clothes neatly set out for her on the end of the bed, Sara dressed as quickly as her body would allow. Slipping her feet into her boots, she combed her fingers through her curls before tying them back in a messy braid. Eager to see her family and figure out her next steps she moved out of the cell and prepared to head to the common area when a slip of a woman, with cropped grey hair stepped in front of her.

"Hi, I'm Carol, we didn't get a chance to meet yesterday," she said introducing herself and offering Sara a warm smile, one she immediately returned.

"Oh hi, it's nice to meet you." She replied, watching as the woman glanced at something behind Sara before refocusing on the younger woman.

"Rick told us you were a nurse before all this, training to be a Doctor?" Carol said and immediately Sara knew this woman wasn't just introducing herself for the sake of pleasantries. Nodding her head though she smiled, slipping her hands into her back pockets.

"Actually I was training to be a Doctor, got a few years in medical school under my belt, got pregnant, dropped out and became a nurse instead." She explained and Carol nodded her head, smiling again as though relieved by something.

"Yesterday our Doctor, Hershel was bit…" off Sara's look, Carol waved her hands, "…he's not infected, Rick quickly amputated his leg but I only know a little first aid as does Lori, we've taken care of it as best we could, but I sure would feel better if someone who knew what they were doing could take a look." She explained and Sara nodded her head quickly, stepping aside to let Carol lead her to where the man was.

"Amputating the infected limb worked?" she asked Carol as they stepped inside one of the cells. Carol nodded her head as she crouched down next to Hershel gently shaking him awake. Sara though was eyeing the bandaged up limp in amazement. Of course it made sense that doing such a thing, if caught early enough could prevent infection, but she couldn't help but wonder what sort of chance this man had now with one leg.

"So you're Sara."

Pulling her attention away from the leg, Sara smiled warmly at the older man as he woke up. "That I am and you must be Hershel, first person I've ever met to survive a bite." She remarked, smiling when Hershel chuckled.

"All thanks to Rick, he saved my life." Hershel told her and Sara could hear the sincerity in his tone. She could see in his eyes that he was truly thankful; there was no ill will there. Smiling she motioned towards the leg as Carol explained why she had asked for Sara in here. "Go ahead, I ain't goin' anywhere." He said and Sara chuckled, crouching down she slowly began to peel away the layers that had been applied to the injury.

The edges of the injury were jagged, crude, the injury was still fresh but by some miracle they'd managed to stem the bleeding. It amazed her that, considering what the group had on offer to treat something like this, there was no sign of infection. The tissue looked healthy, being a colorful shade of red and she could see the healing process was already beginning. Still with them being in the first 48 hours, the risk of infection was still great.

"I have some antibiotics in my bag, what I can do is clean this again and reapply some fresh dressings." She explained, quietly instructing Carol on how to properly care for the injury. The older woman was eager to learn and already seemed to know quite a bit, she explained however she felt a little out of her death with an injury such as this. Sara showed her how to properly bathe the limb, clean and dress it before giving Hershel his first dose of antibiotics and leaving the older man to rest.

"Have you guys discussed how it is you're goin' to handle things once he's more stable?" Sara asked Carol quietly as they stood outside the room. Carol shook her head solemnly crossing her arms over her chest as she cast a quick look towards the sleeping Hershel.

"We've barely had any time to catch up with ourselves since we got here. First priority has just been keeping him alive." She explained and Sara smiled softly, placing a hand on Carol's arm she drew the other woman's focus back onto her.

"Well you've done that and we can figure out the rest as we go. I'm a big believer in miracles at this moment in time…" Sara trailed off and smiled as her thoughts drifted to Rick and her children. Even with all the odds stacked against them, they'd found their way back to each other. She thanked the Lord, Tyreese had spotted the tower when he had and hadn't caved when both she and Sasha had wanted to go somewhere else. Smiling once more at Carol, she squeezed the woman's arm before they parted ways.

Sara wanted to be close to her family and hearing her little girls laughter drift into the cell block, followed by her sons, that desire to be closer to them only grew. Dropping her bag back in her cell, Sara turned with a slight hop in her step only to stop dead when confronted with the hulking figure of Shane. The other man had come out of nowhere and now blocked her path, his gaze hard and intense. Almost immediately her whole mood shifted and her body tensed but shaking her head she blew out a breath and made to step around him only to have Shane step in her path again.

"Move." She said her voice sharp and clipped. Clenching her fingers into a fist, she looked back to see if Carol was there but to no luck. Taking a breath she looked back to Shane realizing he hadn't done as she asked, "Is there something you want?"

"That day at the hospital…I was sure he was dead…" Shane admitted and Sara paused, eyeing him with barely concealed hatred. "If I'd have thought he was alive I wouldn't have…"

"Wouldn't have what? Left him there to fend for himself like you did with me and my daughter?" Sara interrupted, she didn't want to be angry but she was. She was thankful they'd kept Carl alive but Shane and Lori had almost gotten both her and her daughter killed in the house that day. "You had a gun Shane, you had a chance to save us and you locked the front door!" she spat, trying to keep her voice down.

"I thought you were bit, or the kid was. I wasn't riskin' Lori's life by stickin' around." Shane threw back at her, clearly missing out Carl's name, something that didn't go amiss by Sara. Shaking her head she made to move past him again only to have Shane grip her arm and stop her.

"Let. Me. Go." Sara spat, ripping her arm out of Shane's hold and taking a step back away from him.

"Shane?" Lori was by Shane's side and Sara rolled her eyes, wanting to be as far away from the pair of them as possible. Though as she made to take a step, something inside her made her pause and she knew exactly what it was.

"How long you got left?" she asked Lori, keeping her expression neutral. Lori eyed her curiously, her hand slipping into Shane's before she decided to answer, her other hand smoothing over her rounded stomach.

"Any day now I think." Lori said, looking at Shane who was staring past Sara's shoulder. Sara nodded as Lori turned back to her. "Look Sara, what happened that day…a judgement call was made who knows what would have happened to us, let alone Carl if we'd even attempted getting to you and Grace." Lori explained, neither her nor Shane sorry for what they had done that day, they had survived and kept Carl alive too.

"The point is no attempt was made Lori, you didn't only leave us there, but you locked the door and took off with my son. I spent 8 months away from him, not knowing if he was alive or dead, just praying that by some miracle he was okay." Sara watched Lori bristle as she called Carl her son. "Grace got hurt, she wasn't bit…we were trapped with her bleeding…we ended up stuck in the attic just waiting and hoping those things disappeared."

"I was protecting my son." Lori simply argued. It was only then Sara realised there was no remorse coming from her or Shane. They truly believed what they had done was right, and maybe in some way it was but Sara refused to accept the possibility. Shaking her head, she looked between the two of them before pointing at herself.

"He is _my_ son." She said firmly, daring Lori to argue as her maternal instincts for Carl rushed over her in a violent wave. "You don't get to call him that, not after you abandoned him. I raised him, I loved him. I was there for his first day at big school, I held him when he was sick, read him bed time stories every night, helped with his homework, kissed every cut or bruise. I did that, not you, he is my son and you took him away from me." Sara paused, feeling her husband's presence somewhere behind her. She refused to look however and remained focused on Lori and Shane.

"You did what you did, it's done. I'm not going to waste any more time hating you, or being angry. I don't have the energy for it anymore, because neither of you is worth my time. My family is back together now, you kept Carl alive and for that I am eternally grateful. So let's just let it all go, here, right now" She felt an immense pressure lift from her shoulders, from her chest as she spoke. It was only now she realized how much she'd been carrying for the last eight months, letting it go felt incredible.

Lori and Shane didn't say anything, Shane simply nodded whilst Lori seemed to be silently mulling over what had been said. It was clear that Sara's claim over Carl had hurt the woman, but Sara refused to feel any guilt over that. As far as she was concerned, she was Carl's mother, maybe not biologically but in every other way that mattered, the boy was hers. The couple walked away with Shane wrapping a protective arm around his wife and pressing a kiss to her temple. Sara watched them for a moment before slowly turning around to face her own husband who'd been observing the conversation from the door.

"You hear all that?" Sara asked, stepping over to him and letting Rick take her into his arms, the feel of him around her immediately relaxing her.

"Pretty much darlin'. You were a lot more restrained than I would have been…or have been." He admitted, pressing a kiss to the top of her blonde curls before letting her move back a little. Sara smiled softly, her dainty hand reaching up to gently caress his cheek.

"Trust me, everything in me wanted to smack that smug look of Shane's face but the last eight months have been…torture. I always imagined what I would do if I ever saw them again but when I came to it I realized it doesn't matter anymore, I have you back, I have Carl…I'm right where I should be again and I don't want to fight anymore." She told him surprising even herself with how she felt.

Rick smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to Sara's lips, wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and get lost. However, when the sound of his daughter's laughter sounded through the cell, the couple broke apart and chuckled. Squeezing Rick's hand gently, Sara allowed him to lead her into the communal area where both of the children were sitting, talking to Tyreese and Sasha. As she watched the siblings interacting, Sara sighed happily and leaned against Rick's arm, happy to finally be back where she belonged.

 _ **-0-**_

"You found this place all on your own?"

Sara eyed her son apprehensively, not liking the idea of him wandering these hallways alone, even if he was armed. That was another thing she had to get used to, that Carl was firing guns. Though she was happy he knew how to protect himself it didn't worry, but this was the world now, kids needed to know these things it was the only sure fire way to keep them safe. Glancing around the infirmary she didn't see much they could use, Carl had already explained he took what was left to help Dale.

"Dad and the others were busy with the prisoners, Hershel needed stuff…" Carl shrugged, noticing the slight frown on his Mom's face, "I was careful, there were only a couple of walkers." Sara shook her head and turned to face him.

"I know you were baby it's just…last time I saw you, you were just this scared little boy who needed me to protect him and now…" she trailed off, blinking back the tears in her eyes as she felt another surge of anger race up inside of her against Lori and Shane. "…I guess I'm just going to have to get used to the fact you're not a little boy anymore." She said softly, eyeing him sadly.

"I still need you Mom." Carl admitted quietly, adjusting the hat that had once belonged to his Dad. Looking up at his Mom he smiled softly. "I needed you then and I still need you now. I missed you." He told her and Sara crossed the short distance between them and wrapped her arms around her boy once more, the hat falling to the floor. Pressing a kiss to his head, she allowed herself to simply relish in having him back in her arms, even marveling at how much taller he was.

"You have no idea how much I missed you too my little Prince." Sara said quietly, letting her eyes close as the two simply held onto each other. It was only moments later she felt his demeanor change and his body tense around her. Pulling back slightly she kept her hands on his shoulders and looked at him, "Carl?"

"I hate them….Grace was hurt and they made me leave. I wanted to stay." He told his Mom, blinking back the tears in his eyes, refusing to cry and Sara sighed softly, wrapping him in her arms again before cupping his face in her hands.

"Baby I know. Grace was hurt, but she's okay now and we're back together…it's okay to feel what you feel, but they took you and you're Dad found you with them…if you'd never have been there with him, he would've been alone all this time…" smiling softly she lovingly stroked his cheek. "…he found you and then I found you and we're all back together, we need to focus on that."

Carl looked back at the only woman in the world he considered his Mom. She'd raised him, loved him even if she hadn't given birth to him and he knew she was right. He would never forgive Lori and Shane, never, but he was tired of being angry. Smiling slightly he leaned in and hugged his Mom again, trying to make up for the 8 months he'd been away from her. Sara smiled, more than happy to have him in her arms, safe and where he belonged.

"Mom…look…" Carl pulled away from Sara and quickly crossed the small room to retrieve something from the floor behind the bed. Sara frowned watching him before an equally wide grin appeared on her own face upon seeing what he was holding. "For Hershel, he can use these, right?" In his hand he held two crutches and Sara nodded her head, ushering towards her and the door.

"I have no doubt he'll try. Come on, let's go take them through." She said, smiling at the thought of the stubborn old man they'd left lying in that bed. Opening the door and peeking outside. Seeing no walkers she ushered Carl out and made sure to close the infirmary door behind her with a quiet click.

Already the blonde was running through possible places they could gather some necessary inventory for the infirmary. Hospitals were their best bet but with how dangerous they were it wasn't fair to ask anyone to dare venture inside of one. "You know I think with some hard work we could really make this place something special." She said to Carl as they quietly made their way through the darkened hallways back to the cell block.

"Hershel's already talking about planting some stuff; T-dog wants a canal under the fence." Carl replied quietly, not wanting to get his hopes up again but wanting more than anything for this to work. This place was perfect and if they could do the necessary repairs, they could make it home like Beth said.

A loud bang at the end of the corridor made the two turn sharply, both holding their breath with their guns held high. Both listened carefully, waiting but when nothing followed the bang Sara looked down at Carl and nodded. Turning around quickly they ceased all talking and began to quicken their pace back to their cells, eager to get out of the dark and back behind locked doors.

Unbeknownst to Mother and Son, their little interaction hadn't been missed and they certainly hadn't been alone. Andrew was watching…waiting and biding his time. He was going to get revenge on the bastard who locked him outside with those dead fucks. Rick was going to pay and so was everybody else.

 _ **-0-**_

 _ **Hey guys before you go can you all please go to my profile and complete the POLL I've posted for this story? I would really appreciate your guys input!**_

 _ **Short chapter I know but we've got some big stuff coming up…I guess you could call this a filler chapter which I promised myself I would never do but there you go. I have some heavy stuff going on at the moment I hope you guys understand.**_

 _ **Updates should become more regular now; I'm aiming for once a week since I'm 3 chapters ahead. I would really appreciate you guys as well voting in that poll I have set up. BTW does anyone like the flashbacks and if so do you want more? What kind would you like to see?**_

 _Msgemgem – I have plenty of those flashbacks stored away, I'm just waiting for the perfect moment to slip them into the story. I even have a Snow Day one which has been fun to write. I've read a lot of Rick OC stories and I was glad to see mine was different. I really do believe Rick needed better than he had with Lori, he needed someone who could appreciate him, love and adore him, Sara is all those things._ _ **Any chance you can show your support and vote too? Grace isn't fairing too well so far! People seem to want tragedy for the family!**_

 _Shika93 – Thanks for showing your support! I appreciate it!_

 _NicoleR85 – There's a lot of upset there but I think Sara is seeing the positives of the situation. She hates Shane and Lori and won't ever forgive them for abandoning her and her daughter but she's trying to bury things for now so as not to make trouble for the group…especially since she's new and all._ _ **Can I ask you too to show your support by voting in the poll?**_

 _Angelicedg – Thank you for your kind words hun, I appreciate it. The reunion was my favorite and hopefully you liked this chapter even if it is a small filler one._ _ **I'd appreciate it if you could also take time out to vote?**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

 _But it's too late, to go back.  
_ _I can see the darkness, through the cracks.  
_ _Daylight fading, I curse the breaking.  
_ _The day is gone.  
_ _The day is gone._

 _ **The day is gone – Noah Gundersen**_

 _ **-0-**_

Whilst the rest of the cell block slept, Rick slowly began to stir awake, his arms tightening around the body half laying over him. Smiling sleepily, the former Officer tilted his head downwards to watch his beautiful sleeping wife. Her legs were tangled with his own, her head on his chest over his scar and her arms were securely thrown over his torso. He could feel the gentle rise and fall of her chest as it pressed against his, feel the soft, steady thumping of her heart and he didn't think he'd ever felt so relaxed and at peace before.

He truly couldn't remember the last time he had slept as well as he had the last two nights. The nightmares hadn't plagued him, the heavy weight that been a constant crushing sensation since the beginning of this had lifted now he had her back in his arms. Back where she belonged. Despite every odd being stacked against them they'd made it back to each other.

There'd been a time when he had believed Lori had been his soul mate, his forever but it had never felt like this. He'd never found satisfaction in just gazing at her, been content to just hold her in his arms. With Lori everything had been a constant battle, with Sara, things were as easy as breathing. There were no barriers, no walls; she was his best friend in every way. There was nothing they couldn't get through together, apparently even the end of the world stood no chance in separating them.

Meanwhile, Sara was awake, something Rick had yet to notice as his mind wandered. Sara lightly dragged her hand over Rick's chest, her fingers ever so gently tracing the scar from the gunshot he'd gotten before the end of the world. A small frown was playing on her tired features as she remembered back to that afternoon with vivid detail.

" _So has he given you any hints on where he's taking you yet?"_

 _Sara laughed lightly and shook her head, turning to face her friend and fellow nurse Carla as they walked the hallway of the hospital, heading towards the ER. "He keeps saying it's a surprise." She said, sighing dramatically, "All I do know is it's going to be a kid free weekend." She said, smiling happily._

 _This weekend was set to be hers and Rick's anniversary and he'd promised her a weekend away. They never really did anything without the children so she was looking forward to it. A weekend with just her and her gorgeous husband, what more could a girl ask for?_

" _I am so jealous…a surprise to Alan is a one handed back rub in front of the tv and take away for dinner." Carla grumbled and despite herself Sara laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. Carla chuckled and shook her head, "I'm being serious, he tried to get romantic last weekend by ordering in so I didn't have to cook." She exclaimed, shaking her head again._

 _As they rounded the corner into the ER, Sara opened her mouth to reply when the Emergency Room doors burst open and Doctor Robin's descended on gurney being wheeled in. "What we got?" she barked at the paramedics, Sara and Carla hurried over to help as they gurney was being hurried through to one of the trauma rooms._

" _GSW…back…broken off…abdomen…"_

 _Sara's focus shifted and she heard nothing of what was being said. The world tilted onto its axis and she stumbled away from the gurney, her eyes wide and her heart threatening to burst out of her chest. Her movements' jerky she lifted her hands, her stomach churning from the blood. She was frozen unable to move or even breathe as reality began to shatter all around her. Rick. It'd been Rick. Her Rick. Her Husband. The Father of her children was lying in there, he was hurt._

 _Shaking her head she forced herself forward and rushed into the trauma room, ignoring orders from her superior's to leave, ignored them telling her she couldn't be here. Instead she rushed to Rick's side and moved Carla out of the way before leaning over her husband and cradling his face between her hands. He was awake, barely, his face contorted in some sort of grimace. "Rick…Rick baby look at me."_

 _Despite the buzz around him, despite the pain he was in and the darkness slowly creeping over Rick followed the voice as best he could. It was his wife, his Sara and for a moment, just a moment the pain dulled. His eyes searched for her and finally he saw her, the tears on her face. There were other voices, pulling her away but Sara ignored each of the as Rick looked at her. "I love you okay, so don't you dare leave me…" she shrugged off Carla's hand. "You stay alive…okay…I love you so much….NO!"_

 _Arms were wrapped around her mid-section and she was being carried away from her husband, pushing at the arms that held her and struggling as best she could Sara continued to plead to be let down. It was only once she was outside in the corridor that she was placed on the ground. Immediately she span around and shoved away the hands that held her, seeing the paramedic that had brought her husband in, "You son of a…"_

" _Sara that's enough!" Doctor Robbin's barked as she came out. Sara shook her head and tried to step back towards the room only to have her path blocked. Doctor Robbin's held up her hands, stopping Sara and forcing the younger woman to look up at her. "Sara stop. Look I know you're scared but you want him to live right?" she asked, causing Sara to look up sharply._

" _Of course I do."_

" _Then let me do my job and save him. You need to stay out here; you're not helping him by being in here. Now do your part by staying strong and trusting that I know what I'm doing." Dr Robbin's said, a comforting hand being placed over Sara's, forcing the younger woman to look away from the room and at her, "You do that and I promise you I will do my best to save him, do we have a deal?" she asked._

 _Sara shifted, her whole body struggling not to run past them and into that room. Forcing herself to take a breath she slowly looked up at the Dr and gave a somewhat jerky, but firm nod. "Don't let him die. Please." She whispered. The Dr nodded, squeezing Sara's hand before shrugging off her lab coat and rushing back inside the room._

 _Left alone in the corridor, Sara stumbled back into the wall and tried her best not to collapse under the crushing weight of what was happening. Shaking hands reached up to wrap tightly around the cross she wore around her neck and she closed her eyes, a quiet whispered prayer, escaping her lips, "Please…please come back to me."_

"You came back to me."

Sara spoke quietly and smiled softly as she laid her hand flat over the scar and tilted her head upwards to meet Rick's gaze. His only response was to tilt his head downwards and to capture her lips with his own, holding her up tightly against him, his fingers gripping her waist as his other hand moved a stray curl behind her ear. Sara smiled into the kiss, shifting herself upwards to gain better access to her husband, her left hand on his shoulder like leverage, his arms holding her tight against him.

Sara sighed ever so softly as his hand slid down her back, rubbing small circles across her skin through the material of her vest top. Their movements were slow lazy, both still slowly coming out of their sleep induced haze.

Sara's fingers slipped down his chest, walking down the well-defined torso her husband owned, lightly doodling a strange pattern over the scar on his left side before disappearing beneath the sheet pooled around his waist. Rick gasped against her lips as her fingers enclosed around his smooth erection, caressing it lightly with the palm of her hand.

"Well somebody's certainly awake." She whispered against his jaw as their kiss broke, her sensual lips fastening on that spot just below his jaw that drove him crazy.

Rick tilted his head back into the pillow with a gluttonous groan as Sara's delicate hand began to move up and down his shaft in long, slow strokes. Her tongue traced the outline of his neck as she straddled his hips with her knees; her playful hands were smoothing over the defined muscles in his chest as she ground herself against his straining, glistening member.

The only barrier that stood between them was her panties. Her mouth was driving him crazy as she licked, sucked and teased his throat, her lower body generating even more friction between them. Ricks hands finally found their way onto her vest, slipping the material up and over her breasts. Taking the initiative Sara pulled the material off her body, leaving the rest of her gloriously naked for Rick to see.

The way his smoldering blue eyes looked at her, always made Sara feel sexy and dynamic, There hadn't been anyone before him who could ignite such feelings of raw sexuality within her. Not that there'd been many men before Rick. His hands caught her wrists before he turned the tables, leaving Sara gasping in arousal at his show of dominance as he lay her beneath him. His hands pressed hers to the mattress, pinning her there as he dipped his head to her breasts.

His tongue was molten hot as it grazed over her erect nipple causing Sara's entire boy to tighten in please he sucked it gently into his mouth. Her hips arched against his, she could feel his throbbing cock rubbing through the dampness of her panties as she struggled to maintain the contact between them.

Rick watched the expression on Sara's face as his mouth moved onto her other breast, repeating the same action. One hand was cupping her wrists now whilst the other was tracing patterns along the shape of her ribs and abdomen before coming to a stop at the line of her panties. His clever fingers hooked them before he used one hand to draw them down her thighs. Quietly she breathed his name as she felt the tip of him slide across her slick, wet folds.

"Rick…" she begged, his teeth grazing her delicate skin as he placed the head of himself just outside her intimate opening.

He looked directly into her beautiful eyes, once more just drinking in the reality that she was here. The intense desire to claim her as his own rushed through him upon seeing the arousal on her face. He arched his hips slightly so the tip of him was inside of her before withdrawing, teasing her. Sara whimpered but her eyes twinkled playfully, knowing what he was doing, "Can I touch you know?" she asked quietly, trying to keep things as quiet as she could. "Please." She whispered against his mouth.

Rick tilted his hips against hers, filling her inch by inch until he was buried deep inside her to the hilt. The melded together in perfect unison, their mouths crashing together hungrily, their tongues mingling as he entered her slowly. Her hands caressed down his powerful shoulders and along the firm muscular structure of his back as she wrapped her legs even tighter around his waist, allowing him deeper access.

The sensation of him being inside her was amazing. The press of her body against his taunt muscular frame as they moved together was a reminded of the unbroken bond they shared. It heightened even single emotion she had ever had for him. She knew this man better than anybody else in the whole world, and she was once again reminded how deeply in love with Rick Grimes she was.

They began to move faster, Sara's hands where roaming all over his naked body as he made her moan, smothering the sound with his own lips, made her body tighten with every movement. She was so close, her nerves were blazing. As his thrusts became harder, pushing her to the edge her body became tighter.

His name was on her lips as she began to climax, biting down on her tongue to keep from crying out. Her head tipped back, exposing her throat to him as his mouth descended on the curve, biting down as his own orgasm consumed him. Sara gasped as the pain, mixed with pleasure threw her right over the edge. Ricks heart was beating against her chest, Sara closed her eyes absorbing all the tenderness Rick had put into the love making. She was content as she lay there beneath him in the aftermath, wanting nothing more than to just lay there forever.

Rick withdrew from her body gently before rolling onto his back, breathing heavily. Sara smiled softly as she shifted onto her side, allowing Ricks arms to gather her body closer to his own, holding her tightly. No words were spoken as they simply lay together, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking. Everything around them was still, silent and they allowed themselves these few moments to enjoy it all before the world began waking up again.

After all pretty soon, reality was going to come crashing back over them, destroying whatever peace they felt and changing their lives once more.

 _ **-0—**_

"Tomatoes too?"

Sara laughed as her daughter spoke excitedly about the possibility of them planting crops in the field once it was clean. Beside her Carl smiled watching his little sister in amusement as she practically bounced on the balls of her feet, making it harder for her Mom to braid her hair. He hadn't strayed too far from either of them over the last two days, afraid that once he did they'd disappear again. He caught sight of his Mom rolling her eyes at Grace's antics playfully and laughed.

"Hey we could even try and find some pigs!" Carl told his sister who turned her head, her eyes wide with excitement and he had to laugh again, especially when Grace's braid almost fell out of his Mom's hands, "I mean…maybe." He added, allowing himself to hope, even just a little that this would all happen someday soon, that this prison could truly be home.

"We could call it Violet!" exclaimed Grace, swinging her doll in front of her and smiling happily. As Sara fastened off Grace's hair the little girl skipped away and hurried towards Tyreese, who scooped her up into the air and twirled her around. Both Sara and Carl watched as the large bear of a man placed Grace back down so gently and then crouched in front of her to listen to whatever it was she was telling him. Soon enough she was chatting away to Glenn as well, holding out her doll to him.

Behind the family, Lori was watching them and had been listening to the way they spoke to each other in rapt interest. She observed the way Carl hovered close to the woman he called Mom, saw how close they all were and couldn't fight down the sliver of regret and guilt that would surge up inside of her. She had abandoned Carl at a young age, for selfish reasons she wouldn't deny that and couldn't change it but seeing what he had gained in exchange, seeing what Rick had found she couldn't regret leaving, she could only regret not getting back in touch with Carl. As she ran a hand over her stomach she frowned, her eyes searching for Shane, lingering on him for barely a moment before returning to the family in front of her.

"Who are they?" Sara asked, standing just outside the cell block, watching the two men in blue overalls stepping up to her husband and the others in the field. She was pretty sure she hadn't seen them with the group in the last couple days, considering their state of dress she was pretty certain of this fact. Carl stood beside her, narrowing his eyes for a moment before looking back at his Mom.

"They're prisoners, when we got here they were hiding in the cafeteria…there were three more but, well, I guess they died." He explained, not sure how much of the story his Dad had told her. "Dad said they're supposed to stay in Cell Block D," Sara frowned slightly before nodding her head and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Okay well, come on…since you found those crutches you can come help me with Hershel." Sara said after a few moments, her hand on her sons shoulder as she guided him back inside.

 _ **-0—**_

Shane silently observed everyone, his eyes lingering on Lori as she watched Sara and Carl. When Shane followed Lori's gaze he found himself frowning. Frowning at the way Sara placed her arm around Carl as they moved back inside, frowned when he remembered her basically staking her claim as his Mother when really she was nothing of the sort. She wasn't blood and neither was her daughter. Carl belonged to Lori; he was Lori's son despite everything that had happened in the past.

Rick. Well Rick was really starting to get to him. How he had put up with it for so long was beyond him but he knew part of the reason was Lori. She wanted Carl and no matter how many times he, Shane, had pleaded she wouldn't leave the group without the boy.

They'd been making plans to leave the group at some point and regardless of whether he wanted to or not, Shane was going to make sure Carl came with them. There was no way Rick was going to keep them alive, the only reason they'd gotten this far was because of Shane. At least that's what Shane thought. Rick was too soft, too sentimental especially when it came to his family.

The time was coming. They had to wait for the baby to be born and then Shane was getting them out of here because he had no doubt in his twisted mind that pretty soon, Rick was going to get them all killed.

 _ **-0—**_

"I am not riskin' our lives by lettin' them say. We don't know what they're capable of." Rick whispered harshly, glancing at the prisoners standing behind the fence. Beside him T-Dog remained quiet, staring off into the distance knowing he was clearly outnumbered in the vote. He wanted them to say, thought they were sentencing these men to death by sending them out into the world with no real survival experience. Rick, Daryl, Glenn and pretty much everyone else, disagreed.

"Well we may as well put a gun to their heads now. Cause y'know as soon as we send them out there, they're dead man. They've been locked away in that cafeteria for 10 months…they don't stand a chance out…" he trailed off and shook his head, tired of repeating himself. Nothing he said or did was going to change the outcome here and maybe he was the one in the wrong, after all he didn't know these people. For all he knew they could prove to be a real danger, at the same time though they could prove to be valuable asset's to the group.

"Whose blood would you rather have on your hands, theirs or Daryl's, Maggie's, Glenn's…?" Rick asked, willing the other man to understand the decision they had come to. He was doing this to protect his family and he was tired of having to justify his reasons. T-Dog remained quiet before looking up at him and shrugging his shoulders.

"Neither." He answered, short and simple before turning and walking away from Rick, leaving the other man simply watching after him

 _ **-0—**_

"Okay I think now we're really pushing it…are you sure you don't want to…" Sara trailed off and quickly lifted her hands, bracing them against Hershel's shoulders when it looked like he was about to topple forward on the steps.

"I'm not spendin' another day starin' up at that damn bunk." Hershel told her firmly and Sara had to bite down on her tongue, sharing a pointed look with Beth who shrugged her shoulders. The young girl had already tried to talk her Dad back into the cell block but he was determined to push himself as far as he could go.

Stepping off the last step, Sara used her foot to open the cage door as they moved out into the yard. All the bodies that had littered the area were gone; the field was looking clean as well. Sara couldn't help but marvel at the transformation, knowing they really had a shot of calling this place home now. The plan was to go inside and try and work on some repairs soon too, secure it.

"Lookin' like a place we can really live in now." Hershel commented echoing the former nurse's thoughts and making her smile at the possibility. Glancing over her shoulder she watched Grace rush over to grab Beth's hand. Somewhere along the way, Grace had become a little star struck with Beth since hearing her sing the previous night. Beth for her part didn't seem to mind, in fact she was incredibly good with the little girl, listening to her stories and singing along with her when Grace would try and show off her own musical talents.

"You ready to race Hershel?" Carl asked, walking alongside his Mom as she guided Hershel across the yard, despite the old man not needing much help, he seemed to be doing really well on the crutches.

"Give me a couple days, I'll take you on." Was Hershel's reply to the challenge, making everyone laugh as they neared the fence overlooking the field. Sara looked down at Carl and smiled letting her arm drape around his shoulder as her eyes then sought out her husband over on the other side of the field.

Daryl, Rick and Glenn stepped back inside the fence with arms full of lumber for the fire, when they spotted Hershel however they dropped the wood and laughed, all of them amazed at seeing the other man up this soon. Rick leaned against the fence for the first time in a long time feeling hopeful for the future. Hershel was back on his feet, they had secure walls and fences around them and his family was together. Seeking out Sara with his eyes his smile widened and for a moment, just a brief moment he allowed himself to bask in that feeling of hope.

An ear piercing scream echoed through the air all around them, destroying the momentary sense of peace they'd discovered. Carl was the first to turn around quickly, his eyes widening in horror at the scene behind him. "Walkers." He bellowed loudly in warning, raising his gun.

Sara turned in horror and disbelief, seeing the walkers spilling out towards them, having appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "Oh my…" as she raised her own gun, she trailed off and felt her stomach recoil when her eyes landed on Lori. "Lori!" she yelled out the woman's name and aimed her gun squarely at the walker who currently had its teeth embedded in the pregnant woman's shoulder.

Rick's world began to crash and pushing away from the fence he screamed out his wife's name and began to run as fast as his legs would carry him around the perimeter. "Get out of there! Sara!" he screamed, watching in horror as the scene across the yard became even more dangerous and chaotic, gunshots sounding off, masking the screams.

Sara fired off her gun three times, casting a glance back as Beth rushed away with Grace and Hershel to safety. Unable to follow Sara ran towards Lori, who was lying on the ground clutching her shoulder. She could hear Shane calling out to Lori but didn't have time to find him or even wait as more walkers continued to appear all around them. "Carl, come on! Maggie, help me!" she pleaded, applying pressure to Lori's shoulder whilst also trying to help her up.

Carl shot off a few more rounds, watching T-Dog rushing forward to try and shut the gates with Tyreese before turning and hurrying to his Mom knowing they needed to get out of the way. Only as he got to her he stumbled and stared in horror as both she and Maggie hoisted a bleeding Lori to her feet. He couldn't move, only gape in disbelief, frozen at the woman who had birthed him.

"Carl, move it!" yelled Sara, jolting him out of his thoughts and ordering him to move. Snapping his eyes back to his Mom, Carl nodded his head and rushed past the women, opening the cage door and ushering them inside, quickly closing the gate behind him in time for the walkers to slam up against it. All of them ignoring the yells of his Dad and the others, knowing they needed to get Lori inside to help her. So not looking back they ran inside the communal area of the cells and shut the doors behind them.

"We need to find something to stem this bleeding fast…"Sara said both her and Maggie struggling to keep Lori upright as they moved towards the cells. Maggie nodded, ready to guide them through into the cells when walkers began to spill through into the communal area. Rotten, decaying hands reached out for the group, the stench of fresh blood causing them to get even more riled up. Carl fired his gun and quickly pushed his family backwards, they had no choice but to go into the tombs.

"My…my…b…baby…" Lori gasped in pain, sounding weak. Sara wrapped her arms tighter around the woman and tried to take on her weight as they all stumbled into the tombs. Sara felt her hand on Lori's shoulder slipping, unable to maintain a firm hold on the wound. "My…b…baby, Sara…" Lori gasped, trailing off as she coughed, blood staining her lips.

"We gotta find a…we can go the infirmary!" Maggie exclaimed, casting a look back over her shoulder as they weaved their way through the corridors. Sara nodded, both women lifting Lori even higher and holding her tighter.

"They're coming!" Carl turned and fired off three more shots, growing more panicked as more and more walkers began to shuffle towards them. They were exposed and vulnerable, the tombs had yet to be cleared properly and secured, and there was a chance that any wrong turn could turn this bad situation into a death sentence for them all. "Quick, get inside!"

Maggie pushed open the infirmary door and with Sara hurried Lori inside. Carl quickly ducked inside after his Mom and slammed the door shut, pressing himself against it as he snapped the lock into place. Pressing his ear against the door he listened carefully, holding his breath instinctively.

There were knocks against the door, shuffling and brushing but nothing to indicate the walkers knew they were in here, at least not yet and stepping back he released a breath and smiled before turning around, that sense of relief slipping away instantly. There in front of him, his Mom and Maggie were stood either side of Lori as she lay out on the bed in the centre of the room and there was blood everywhere.

"I can't…my hand…there's nothing to hold onto." Sara said quietly, shaking her head as she tried to find some traction on Lori's injury. The bite however was too deep and too extensive for her to even try and cover with her hand, there was no stemming the blood. Shaking her head, the blonde nurse shrugged off her shirt and bundled it up before pressing it against the injury. "Lori, I need you to hold on okay. We got you." She said to Lori, finally looking up to Maggie who looked distraught.

Amidst the chaos, an alarm began to sound all around them, seemingly from every direction. Sara flinched as Maggie and Carl covered their ears. Lori gasped her skin now a ghostly white as she continued to splutter, her breaths coming out in short, harsh gasps. Her pale, clammy shaking hand shot up and grasped Sara's wrist tightly, forcing the other woman's attention onto her.

"Shane, he can't…won't handle this...you loved Carl please…" she gasped in pain and clutched her stomach protectively. Tears began streaming down her face as she looked past Sara and to Carl, half smiling as she stared at him. Her head fell back against the cushions, her eyes growing heavier as she caressed her stomach again, "You…loved Carl…love my baby…please…be a Mom…" she gasped again, her voice growing weaker.

Sara shook her head; despite herself tears fell from her eyes. She couldn't comprehend what it was Lori was asking her to do. They didn't know each other, not really but they were connected despite Sara trying to deny it, they were. Carl connected them. What they'd been through, in this moment didn't matter anymore, they were Mother's together. Lori was dying; there was no getting around that fact. She'd already lost too much blood, her pulse and breathing were slowing down, and Sara felt useless.

Lori was asking her to take care of her baby, to love it and be a Mother. It didn't feel right, in fact everything about it felt wrong. This shouldn't be happening, not like this. Lori needed to be able to be around for this baby, Shane too. Despite her feelings towards them both, Sara knew this baby needed them, none of this was fair. "This baby, I promise no matter what, this baby will be loved." She promised Lori. She hoped Shane would be the one to do that, but if not, she was going to honour Lori's last wish.

Maggie shook her head as she watched the two interact, her tears falling freely as Lori struggled to hold on in those last few moments. Carl had stepped up to the bed beside Sara and did something unexpected. He reached out and held onto Lori's hand, squeezing it gently and smiling at her sadly. Lori looked at him and despite the pain, she smiled, her pain gone as the son she had once abandoned held onto her hand.

Closing her eyes tightly Sara shook her head, unable to believe what was happening. When she felt Lori grow still her eyes snapped open and she gaped at the brunette. Lori was gone. Dead. The blood no longer poured out of her injury, she no longer gasped for breath. She was just still and all Sara and Carl could do was stare in disbelief.

"Sara, the baby….damn it Sara!" Maggie yelled at the nurse in front of her and shoved her hands away from their useless job of stemming the bleeding from Lori's neck. With a sharp frown Sara looked up at Maggie as the younger girl thrust a knife at her and into her hands. "We need to get the baby out now." She reminded Sara, watching as the nurse's eyes widened and she looked at Carl.

"Time to turn away baby." She told him firmly; horrified at the prospect of doing this but knowing Maggie was right she needed to get the baby out. Lori was dead, bitten, the baby didn't have long. Carl knew not to argue and turned away as his Mom got in position. "Ready?" she asked Maggie, the young girl nodding her head trying not to look as sick as she felt.

"Let's just get it done." Maggie said, reaching up to close Lori's eyes. "We need to be quick…" she added, knowing Lori could turn at any time. Pulling out another knife she held it tightly in her hand before looking at Sara with a knowing, reluctant glance. Seconds ticked by and finally the young woman lifted her hand to Lori's head and quickly pushed it through the temple, killing the brain and halting any chance of her awakening.

Sara closed her eyes briefly before opening them again and pushing up Lori's shirt. This wasn't something Sara had ever done, she had assisted in caesareans but that was it, but she had no choice. With one final nod from Maggie and one last cautious look towards her son, Sara placed her knife on Lori's bare stomach, and after taking a breath began to cut.

 _ **-0—**_

 _ **No excuse other than life has been kicking my butt and in turn it's been kicking this stories butt. I have a lot planned and hope you guys stick with me long enough to go through it all with me.**_

 _ **Lori is dead. The baby is about to be born. We don't know the state of the others yet. How is Shane going to react to Lori's death?**_

 _ **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Because of the long wait I thought I'd make this chapter extra-long for you guys.**_

 _ **EllyWellyBear –**_ _Thank you so much! I didn't update too soon but I got there in the end. I didn't want to deviate from the show too much, so just added my twist like you said, wanted to make it unique and my own. I love both Carl and Grace so much its unreal. Glad to see you feel the same way. Hope you enjoyed the update._

 _ **Guest –**_ _It would destroy Rick and Sara as it would any parent but I do think if it came down to it, these two are a couple that could survive anything. Who knows what can happen in the future. Carl and Grace have one hell of a bond I could see that happening in the future maybe lol._

 _ **Belladu57 –**_ _Thanks for the review hun._

 _ **NicoleR85 –**_ _Sara became very Momma bear when it came to Carl, blood bond aside she's his Mother in every way that matters. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well._

 _ **RHatch89 –**_ _Thanks for the review hun. Appreciate it._

 _ **Xenocanaan –**_ _Here's the next chapter, sorry for the long wait between updates._

 _ **Angelicedg –**_ _Thank you hun. Hope this chapter has the same effect on you as the last one does._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

 _This is the end  
_ _Hold your breath and count to ten  
_ _Feel the earth move and then  
_ _Hear my heart burst again_

 _ **Skyfall – Adele**_

 _ **-0-**_

Rick had torn into the courtyard in a crazed panic, taking out as many walkers as he could with the others still outside. They'd no sooner taken out the last walker before the alarms started sounding sending them all into another panic. Everything was going wrong so fast, the group was scattered, some injured if Hershel was right but until he saw something to confirm that Rick refused to believe anything. He had to find his family; his whole body shook with the possibility of them being hurt or worse.

With the help of Oscar, Rick along with Daryl, Glenn and Axel made it to the generator room where Oscar had then been able to turn off the alarm. Shane's main priority above all else had been finding Lori so he hadn't gone with the others to help, he'd yelled and screamed that Oscar and Axel had something to do with the whole situation. Punched Rick square in the face when the other man had tried to get him to see reason, his family was missing too but they needed to stick together.

Everything was falling apart and fast.

Rick stared straight back at Oscar with his hand raised. The larger man seemed to hesitate before twisting the gun in his hand and holding it out to Rick. It was a sign of trust, a sign that Oscar had chosen sides and he'd chosen Rick over Andrew. This was all out of some twisted kind of revenge. His goal was, to cause as much devastation as possible and hopefully kill the source of his anger in the process, Rick. That however all ended when Oscar put a bullet through his head.

Oscar had now been accepted into the group with that one action, Rick chose to trust him. So with a small nod the group had then left the generator room, to try and reunite the rest of their group. Once outside in the halls, they found Axel and Glenn. Relieved to see each other alive, the group continued on through the corridors stumbling up on the horrifying sight of T-Dog, dead and half eaten. Devastated, Glenn and Daryl took down the walkers that had been feeding on their friend, whilst Rick had the unpleasant job of putting him down so there was no chance of him turning.

The consensus was to get back outside, check for the others but upon heading into the courtyard they discovered the others hadn't yet turned up. Rick was growing panicked, his fingers gripping his hair tightly as he looked around. "They must have been pushed back into the tombs." He said knowing they hadn't been in the cell block. His eyes landed on his daughter for a brief moment as the little girl remained pressed up against the fence she was hiding behind, her fingers sticking through holding tightly to the wire.

"Where's T-Dog?" Hershel asked, watching the look on Ricks face. Nothing else needed to be said, he knew, he did, he just hadn't wanted to believe it. "And Carol, Tyreese, Sasha where..." he trailed off from asking anymore when Sasha burst through one of the doors behind Axel, behind her Tyreese helping a limping Carol to walk.

Rick waited with baited breath, happy to see his friends but when his wife didn't appear he felt that sense of dread wash over him once more. Swallowing down the panic that had begun to overwhelm him he looked over at Daryl and nodded. "Well let's go then, you guys stay put!" Daryl ordered, as they all began to ready themselves to head back inside.

A wailing sound made every stop for a moment, the sound was unmistakable, one they all recognised instantly upon hearing. Slowly they turned around to see another trio step outside onto the courtyard. Rick felt relief rush over him upon seeing Sara and Carl only as it registered in his mind that they were there, he finally got to see the state of Sara and Maggie. Both women were covered in blood, their arms and hands stained in red, tears streaming down their faces and then he seen it. The source of the crying, it was coming straight from the bundle in Sara's arms.

Rick smiled but then looking at his wife, Carl and Maggie he felt his stomach coil in dread and horror. He knew what this meant but still he couldn't help but ask, "Where's Lori?"

 _ **-0—**_

White hot rage boiled through Shane's entire body. His eyes were wide, wild, and full of an uncontrollable anger, a burning hatred. He stared blindly at the blood staining the floor of the corridor, his fingers curled so tightly into a fist that blood had begun dripping from the palms of his hands. His whole body trembled as she shook his head, fighting down the urge to scream. Swallowing down the bile building up in his throat, he placed his hand on the door handle of the infirmary. The others, having left it only minutes ago…

He'd heard the crying of the baby, felt joy course through him at the idea of finally being a Dad. However when he'd seen that door open, seen Carl step out first covered in blood he'd froze and hid behind the wall. He didn't know why he had chosen to hide, instinct he guessed. Dread and something else had burned inside of him when Maggie followed Carl out, blood all over her hands and arms. Then came Sara, the other woman covered in blood, her clothes, her hands and arm all stained red and with her she carried a small bundle.

His baby, his and Lori's baby.

"Do you think she meant it? That she wanted you to take the baby?" Carl asked his Mom as he turned to face her. Shane gripped his machete tightly as reality hit him in the face like a brick. Lori was dead, she was dead, gone. She'd left him and the baby and asked that bitch holding their child to take her? Shaking his head he urged his body forward but nothing happened, he didn't move or make a sound.

"I don't know baby, let's just get out of here, and find Shane, he needs to know." Sara said, cradling the baby closer to her as Carl began to lead them all out of the tombs. Shane had watched after them before coming to a stand in front of the door himself and staring at it. He didn't know what he'd find on the other side, but nothing could have prepared him for it. When he pushed open that door he stumbled to his knees, eyes wide and fixed on his wife.

A devastated scream ripped out of his throat and he quickly stood, violently kicking the door. His fists punching the walls, punching holes through the cupboards, and launching trays across the room before reaching the bed his wife lay on. With trembling hands he reached up, cupping her face and leaning in close. Pressing a kiss to her lips, he let his forehead rest against hers for a moment, before coming to a decision.

"Oh baby…oh baby I'm sorry…" he whispered, barely suppressing a sob as he pulled back, brushing a lock of Lori's hair off her face. Just like a switch, like something inside of him clicked, Shane straightened, his face taking on a cold, steely look he resigned himself to what had to happen next. Leaning down, he slipped his arms under her legs, placing one arm beneath her shoulders and he lifted, holding the lifeless body against his own tightly.

Slowly he turned towards the door and stepped outside, his feet leading him in the opposite direction to the cell-block. As Shane disappeared into the darkness, he spoke one last time to the love of his life, "I promise they'll pay. They're all gonna pay."

 _ **-0—**_

"Did you find him yet?"

Sara cradled the new-born baby in her arms as Rick, Glenn and Tyreese re-entered the cell-block. Rick shook his head, wiping his brow with the back of his arm, his eyes lingering on the baby his wife held before flickering to Hershel as the older man stepped forward. "Maybe he got turned around…those things were everywhere…" he suggested, but Glenn shook his head.

"We looked, he didn't come with us he went straight after Lori." He told them, glancing back at Tyreese and Rick both of whom looked grim. "Lori's bodies gone." He told the others and everyone looked up sharply, their attention going from Glenn to Sara and Carl. "Are you sure…?" Glenn trailed off when Sara nodded her head.

"Maggie was the one to do it. Lori died and we had to get the baby out, we couldn't risk her turning before we did that so…we did what we had to do. She was dead." She said softly, looking at Carl who was sat staring at his hands on the steps. "He could have took her outside to bury her…"

"Thing is…there's a trail of blood heading in the opposite direction, doors that shouldn't be open are…" Tyreese said, laying his weapon down on the table. Sara frowned and looked back at Rick. Hershel sighed, knowing what had happened.

"You think he's left…gone out through the back?" he asked Rick, the weary man simply nodded his head, looking down at the floor. Sara watched him with concern before letting her gaze drift to Sasha.

"His baby is here. Why the hell would he just leave?" asked Sasha, as she finished bandaging Carol's sprained ankle. Rick shook his head and walked past the group, heading back into the tombs and not saying a single word. Sara watched him go with a frown; turning to Carol she placed the new-born in the woman's arms and headed off to find her husband.

"Rick…hey…stop!" she exclaimed when he refused to slow down. They'd moved down a few corridors before her husband finally ground to a halt and she caught up to him. Moving to stand in front of him, Sara stared up at the man she loved. "Where you running to?" she asked, but he didn't look at her. Frowning Sara sighed softly and cupped his face between her hands, forcing him to look at her. "Hey, where you goin?" she asked softly.

Rick seemed to blink a few times before he finally registered that she was there. He released a small breath, one of his hands coming to touch her cheek before it rested on her shoulder. "Lori's gone. T-Dog's gone. Shane he's…he's gonna go crazy…I gotta find him." He insisted, knowing better than anyone what his former friend and partner was capable of. Now he'd lost Lori, nothing was going to bring him back, not if he'd just carried her away after the baby being born. Rick knew he was gone and that scared him, with Lori gone, Shane was going to snap and chances were, the group were going to be the ones who felt the fall out.

"I know…I know but we need you back in there with us. This group, they're all scared. There's a baby in there who needs us…Shane can take care of himself. He'll come back when he's ready." She said, knowing how stupid that last part sounded even before she said it. Shane wasn't coming back, his priority had always been Lori and with her gone…he hadn't even bothered to look in on his kid.

"Could've been you," Rick said gruffly, looking down at her, one of his bloodied hands lifting and gently twisting a lock of hair framing her face through his fingers. Sara sighed, moving to stand on her tiptoes as she pressed a kiss to his forehead and then his lips, lingering for a moment before pulling back ever so slightly, making sure Rick's eyes were firmly on her.

"I'm right here and I need you in there with me…too many people have been lost today. That baby needs help, I need you in there." She said softly but firmly, watching a frown begin to form on Rick's tired face before he nodded. Returning the gesture he pressed a kiss to her forehead, letting his lips remain against the soft skin there for a moment before taking Sara's hand and heading back into the cell block with her, all the while trying to ignore the coil of dread building in his stomach.

 _ **-0—**_

Young hazel eyes studied the scene in front of her carefully, she watched as the baby her Mother held was finally given the milk Daryl and Maggie had brought back. She watched and quietly took in the expressions and the actions of the others studied the way they interacted, took note of relationships. Everyone was sad but, happy as well which she quickly determined was because of the baby. Smiling and cuddling her doll closer to her chest, Grace stood from her stool and headed back into the cell block, walking straight towards the stairs her Dad was sat.

"I stayed brave today Daddy." Grace said quietly as she sat down next to her Dad. Rick was slightly startled by her sudden arrival but recovered quickly, looking down at the little girl. "I only got a little bit scared." She admitted, shrugging her shoulders.

"You were incredibly brave Princess. A lot braver than I was." Rick told her, reaching out to wrap a protective arm around his daughter forcing away the worry he felt. Shane hadn't returned and likely wouldn't, meaning, they had a new problem.

"Mommy said you're the bravest person she knows." Grace told her Dad firmly, before sighing softly turning her focus onto her doll, "I got scared like Carl, when you got shot. Mommy said that we weren't to cry, or to be scared because you're Superman and Superman is the strongest person in the world and he always comes back home. So we had to good and wait for you to get better…you couldn't come home but you woke up, found us. You're very brave Daddy."

Rick stared in awe at the little girl before him and felt his chest tighten. It always amazed him how much Carl had grown up, but Grace was only seven and sounded older than she was. Just like her Mother she had the ability to ease his troubles, to make him feel like he had the ability to be much stronger than he felt. He'd never had anyone believe in him the way his family did, it's what always spurred him to push on, to keep going even when times became hard. He was terrified of the future but right now, right now he was ready to face it head on. Shane would be back. The walkers would always return. They'd face more losses but he was ready to meet it all head on and fight, to be the Superman his family believed him to be.

"I'm sorry about your friends." Grace said softly, standing up and wrapping her small arms around her Dad's shoulders, giving him the biggest hug she could muster. Rick smiled, his eyes glistening as he wrapped his arms around his daughter and squeezed her tight, finding strength and comfort in the little girls hold, allowing himself to indulge in the peace and innocence of the moment.

 _ **-0—**_

Carl was conflicted and confused as he stood in front of T-Dog's freshly dug grave. He mourned his friend; T-Dog had been a good man, he didn't deserve to die. He knew how to feel about losing T-Dog but then there was Lori. He truly didn't know how to process her being gone, he didn't know how he was supposed to feel in the wake of it all and that was the worst feeling he'd ever had.

On the one hand he felt guilty for those times he'd ignored her, told her that she wasn't his Mom and he didn't love her. He felt angry for feeling guilty, knowing that Lori was the one who abandoned him. In the end, he had hoped that she believed he'd forgiven her but the truth be told he didn't really believe there was anything to forgive. To forgive her implied that he understood that he felt something for her, truth was he didn't feel anything for the woman that gave birth to him, so that made him feel like the worst person in the world.

What kind of monster did that make him?

Glancing over his shoulder, the young boy looked towards the courtyard where his eyes immediately found his Mom. Sara was his Mom; there was no question about it. The idea of ever losing her terrified him, he'd grieved for her before when he thought she was dead, he'd felt that loss. Lori, and Shane had just been the people who'd kept him away from his family, so no matter how bad of a person it made him, Carl couldn't feel any guilt for not being able to grieve for them. He had his Mom and his Dad, he had Grace and now they had the new baby, whom he already loved. They were all he needed.

With that in mind, Carl placed a single white flower on Lori's grave before stepping away. "I'm sorry. Goodbye." He whispered, hesitating a moment longer before walking away completely and returning to join his family.

 _ **-0-**_

Daryl quietly watched Carl from his vantage point in the courtyard, a dark frown on his face. Slowly his eyes drifted to the graves and he sighed, shaking his head before looking down at the walkie talkie he held in his hand. It'd been days since Sara's arrival, days since she'd told him that they were to turn it on at sundown and nothing. Chances were they'd never hear off Merle and he wasn't too sure what to feel about that. When it came to his brother, he never knew what to feel, the only thing he knew was obligation.

"You know he's goin' to get in touch." Sara said as she approached Daryl. She'd been watching him for a few moments, eyeing the walkie talkie in his hands. Daryl turned to look at her silently before turning away once more.

"Doubt it." Daryl said and this time it was Sara who frowned. Granted she didn't know Merle like Daryl, didn't know him much of all but she believed in her heart that Merle would be in touch. That at some point he'd be in touch, that he'd finally join them. She trusted that and she trusted him, believed in him after all he'd saved not only her life but Grace's, he'd given them a chance to get back to their family. For that he had her trust and loyalty.

"He knows the Governor, knows how to work him…when he can he'll call, he'll find us. I believe that." She said with a firm nod of her head. Daryl glanced at her again, wondering what his brother had done to inspire such loyalty and faith. "He helped us, when he saw those pictures of Rick, he knew. He knew if you were still alive that chances were you'd be with Rick, I think for Merle, helping us was just another step in finding you. That's all he wanted." She told him.

Daryl quietly observed her for a few moments before nodding his head once and then looking out through the fence again. "The Gov'ner he really as bad as you think?" he asked. Sara crossed her arms tightly over her chest and nodded.

"He's worse. He's dangerous, psychotic. Everyone needs to be ready. His group is going out further and further every day, there's gonna come a time when they find this place and trust me when I say, the Governor ain't goin' to be wantin' shake hands. I've saw what he can do to people, to groups, we need to be careful." She said softly but firmly, meaning it all as a warning. She firmly believed she hadn't seen the last of the Governor, a hollow coil of dread in her stomach only heightened that believe.

"Be the last thing he ever…" Daryl's voice cut off when static penetrated the air all around him and Sara. Both adults jumped violently, eyes wide with shock as they both looked down to the walkie talkie in his hand. Daryl held it up between as the static continued, only to cut off as a familiar voice followed.

" _Hey Mama, ya there? Hope ya are girl, there's a shit storm headin' your way."_

 _ **-0-**_

 _ **So our first ever poll has been closed and the unlucky winner was Michonne! We'll have to see if there is any fall out for Michonne later on.**_

 _ **Now there's a second poll up. This one is a simple vote yes or no poll. I've been outlining some pre-apocalypse one-shots based on Rick, Sara, Carl and Grace for those of you who like the flashbacks and are interested in seeing their life before. There won't be loads of these one-shots, it's mainly things I can't seem to find room to fit in the main story. They'll be based on special moments within the family, Christmas, Halloween, Birthdays, Anniversary's…and other life events. I'm even taking suggestions on what you guys would like to see so if there's anything you guys want just make sure to write it in you review…then pop over and vote!**_

 _ **Now onto review replies! If you liked this chapter guys please let me know! I feel like I'm losing my touch as not too many people are reviewing anymore sadly.**_

 _ **NicoleR85 –**_ _Shane is going to go off the rails. I feel like the only thing that's been keeping him from going over the edge has been Lori and now she's gone there's no anchor there to keep him grounded. I mean look, he walked away from his own baby, if that was me or any normal person, chances are you would go and cling to what you have left. There is going to be fall out from Lori's death so just wait to see what this does to Shane! You won't be disappointed._

 _ **Angelicedg –**_ _Full Shane! You never go full Shane! LOL but yeah I think, like I mentioned, Lori was his anchor and now she's gone his world has been knocked off its axis. He has nothing there to keep him grounded; I mean he walked away from the baby so we don't know how he's feeling about her yet. But stick with us over the next few chapters and you won't be disappointed I promise, there's going to be heavy fall out._

 _ **RHatch89 -**_ _So glad you liked the chapter, hopefully you enjoyed this one as well!_

 _ **Trifles –**_ _Thank you so much for such a detailed review and for your kinds words. I'm so happy to know you love both Sara and Grace and hopefully you enjoyed the little scene between Father and Daughter in this chapter. I know I haven't done many of them so far but there will be more I promise. Like you predicted no, Shane isn't going to remain sane, we're going to see some troubling things come out of his loss of Lori. I do have plans to go to Alexandria, in fact I already have some scenes written out for there, purely because I didn't want to forget them but yes, we shall be continuing on till there and long after hopefully. My intent was to always follow the story with an OC but make it different because yes, I've read stories were it's like you're basically reading a play by play of the show and episodes with just an OC thrown in. So I do follow the show but I always try and make things new and fresh and I'm glad to know you think I'm doing that well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to hearing from you again! Very much so!_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N - Absence is explained more at the end guys but just wanted to say look at my pretty new cover for the story! Gives you guys a chance to see what I imagine Sara would look like too! What do you think?**_

 **Chapter Ten**

 _It's the moment of truth, and the moment to lie,  
_ _The moment to live, and the moment to die,  
_ _The moment to fight, the moment to fight._

 _ **30 seconds to Mars – This is War**_

 _ **-0-**_

Maggie and Glenn were gone.

After Merle had been in contact, the group had learned that one of their own, Shane had made his way to Woodbury. Shane had been barely hanging onto his humanity even before Lori was gone but now, now he didn't have her acting like some anchor, keeping him tethered to his sanity. He'd obviously traded up and headed to Woodbury despite having heard about what kind of a man the Governor was. Whilst this didn't bode well for any of them, the one it affected the most right now was Merle.

According to Merle, Shane had announced he had some information to share, information he was sure the Governor would be interested in. By some stroke of luck the Governor had been on a run, so Shane was instead greeted by Merle who managed to quickly subdue the other man before locking him up in one of the 'interrogation rooms'. The plan had been for Merle to get out of there before the Governor returned and discovered Shane and in turn, learned that Merle had betrayed him. Both Rick and Daryl had set up a meeting point, where they'd then bring Merle to the prison.

Things didn't exactly work out according to plan.

Maggie and Glenn had been found by the Governor during their raid on a nearby convenience store. It wasn't clear why they'd been taken prisoner, but Merle had radioed ahead and told the prison group that the Governor had radioed in that he was bringing them back. At first Merle himself hadn't cared why or even who it was, until he saw Glenn, that's when he knew he had to stay, he'd radioed Daryl and knew his brother was coming to Woodbury with others to rescue Glenn and Maggie.

Of course, Merle's first instinct was to look after number one, but after spending so long looking for his brother he was damned well going to make sure he was around to help when Daryl got here. Not to mention he had to make sure the Governor didn't get near the other prisoner just yet. Shane had been bound and gagged when Merle had knocked him unconscious and right now, not that many people knew he was here and those that did wouldn't say anything to piss off Merle.

Watching both Glenn and Maggie being ushered in through the back of the building and into the separate interrogation rooms, Merle began to grow antsy. He wanted out, he didn't do well sitting around especially when he knew his life was in danger should the Governor discover Shane and learn of Merle's deceit and the location of the prison.

 _ **-0-**_

"I'm not arguin' with you about this. You're stayin', that's final."

Sara bit her tongue and shook her head. Following after Rick, she hurried to move in front of him forcing her husband to stop so as not to run into her. Holding up a hand she glanced back towards the car before looking back at Rick. "You need me there…"

"You barely got out of there alive Sara. This isn't up for discussion, you're staying here!" Rick growled out and Sara shook her head, holding a hand against his chest as he made to move past her once more. She opened her mouth to argue then caught the look in his eyes, the fear. He didn't want her to go, he was scared for her that's what this was. After what it had taken for her to get out, what had almost happened she suddenly understood.

Rick was her husband, a husband she'd long since feared dead. By some divine miracle, they'd found their way back to each other despite the overwhelming odds. In the process of finding her way back to him, she'd crossed the Governor and God only knew what would happen to her if he ever got hold of her again. Despite her desire to go, Rick needed her here, she knew he wouldn't think straight if he was too busy worrying about her.

"Okay. You're right, I'll stay here." She said softly, her hand resting over his heart. "Just come back to me." The tension in Ricks body only seemed to fade a little underneath her hand, he was still carrying so much worry and weight on his shoulders. His people were out there, captured by a mad man and he couldn't relax until he got them back.

His fingers wrapped around her hand, pulling it off his chest and lifting it up to his lips where he placed a soft kiss on her palm. With that he let go and stepped around her, not saying another word as he stepped towards the car.

Sighing softly, Sara closed her eyes temporarily, her arms crossing over her chest. It didn't sit well with her that Rick was going without her, she didn't like the idea of them being separated. Yet at the same time she also knew she had to be here for their children and Rick had managed to surround himself with good people so she had faith they'd keep each other safe. At least she hoped that was the case.

As the roar of the car engine filled the courtyard she turned around slowly on the heel of her boot to watch as it pulled out through the gate. Her eyes remained glued to the vehicle as it tore down the dirt road and finally disappeared out of sight.

A heavy feeling began to weigh down on her chest when she could no longer see the car her husband had driven off in. Quietly she prayed for her husband's safe return, as well as his friends before taking a reluctant step back towards the cellblock and her children.

 _ **-0-**_

" _Let me go!"_

 _Carl screamed, violently pushing the at the arms holding him in place. Tears streamed down his young face as he tried to turn in his seat, his house disappearing as the car he was in rounded the corner. Sobbing loudly his whole body shook in despair and terror over what was happening. It was all too much. First his Dad had been shot, school had been closed, people getting sick and now he'd been torn away from his family by two people he didn't want to know._

 _Were they even still alive? His Mom and little sister? A loud sob tore out of his throat as he shrugged out of Lori's hold, "Mom! I want my Mom, take me back!" he screamed, his hands banging at the windows._

" _Knock it off Carl!" Shane barked back, no remorse for leaving Sara or her child. As far as he was concerned he'd gotten Carl out for Lori, he was alive and that's all that mattered. "We're not going back. They're gone, there's no way they got out of there…"_

" _Shane stop!" Lori ordered, devastated by her sons reaction to his rescue, but also feeling guilty for not even attempting to help the only Mom he'd ever known. Though she had to keep reminding herself that she was Carl's Mom, Sara had cared for him there was no doubt but Lori was blood, and that trumped everything else in Lori's opinion._

 _Carl looked down at his wrist, and sobbed quietly. His vision was blurred from the tears that continued to fall, but it was clear enough for him to stare down at the brightly coloured cracker jack bracelet his little sister had put on him only a couple hours previous. She'd been so excited after finding it at the bottom of the cracker jack box and since she already had one, she'd made Carl wear it and make a promise to keep it on._

 _Grace had held up her own arm next to his and determined that the fact they matched meant they were best friends forever. Now she was gone, probably dead. He'd seen the blood, saw those monsters converging on his Mom and sister, he wasn't stupid, he knew they were both gone._

 _As Lori placed a hand on his shoulder he shook it off again and shuffled across the seat to the place furthest from her and brought his legs up, resting his head on his knees. Leaning against the interior of the car door he cried, his whole body hurting in a way he'd never felt before as he realised that he was alone and his family were now all gone._

" _I was supposed to take care of her…" he whispered._

Carl looked down at his left wrist, down at the multi coloured crack jack bracelet he still wore. It was extremely girly but a gift from his little sister, he'd never take it off. Smiling, he dropped down beside Grace in the communal area of the prison block and gently bumped her shoulder.

The adorable little blonde looked up at her big brother and smiled brightly. It was a smile that lit up Carl's entire world and eclipsed all the badness that had happened over the last few months. Being a big brother had been something he'd taken to the moment he'd met Grace, before they even knew if Sara and Rick were going to stay together. Carl had found someone he loved so much, someone he was going to look after no matter what. He'd missed out on that for 8 months, Carl was for sure going to make up for that.

"Hey squid…look." He said, pulling his sleeve up to show her his arm and the bracelet that adorned it. Grace frowned then smiled brightly when she saw what it was Carl was showing her. Her eyes lit up and she turned quickly, giggling lightly before she held up her own arm where a matching bracelet hung around her little wrist and put it against Carl's. "Who's the best brother and sister team in the world?" he asked her and Grace giggled again, throwing her arms around him.

"You and me obviously." She replied and Carl smiled, hugging her back before they pulled apart. Grace sat back on her legs as she looked up at Carl, the older boy reaching around his back. After a moment, her brother pulled a knife out and held it between them. When the young girl saw, it she looked up at her brother in confusion, not sure what he was doing or trying to say.

"Come on then, I need to show you how to do some things." He said, determined to be the one who taught Grace how to look after herself and use the weapons they had on offer. Grace stared back at him for a moment before smiling and nodding her head enthusiastically. Carl laughed and ruffled her blonde hair as they stood and headed into the cell block.

 _ **-0-**_

Rick shook with a rage he'd never felt before. The retrieval of their friends hadn't gone as expected, or as smoothly as he'd wanted. By time they'd reached Woodbury, The Governor had returned and discovered Shane bound and gagged in an interaction room. Of course, Rick's erratic best friend had been only too happy to spill the dirty details of Merle's betrayal, the prisons location and just who Maggie and Glenn were. Then there'd also been Sara's involvement and apparently, that'd been enough to put him in good favour with the obviously unhinged man who had labelled himself the Governor.

The small town had already been in chaos when Rick and his people had arrived and it hadn't been till they'd made it out with an injured Glenn the first time, that they'd discovered the reason why. Turned out the Governor had pissed someone else off, a woman they'd learned was called Michonne. The sword yielding Amazonian had helped them to get out after saving Maggie's life but tried to dissuade them from heading back inside. Once she'd figured out they weren't just going to leave their people behind though, something had shifted and she'd promised to help them get back, to which she'd been offered sanctuary back at the prison if she did.

They'd gotten back inside and saw the barbaric way Daryl and Merle were being treated. Medieval entertainment, the audience blood thirsty and demanding that the two brothers be killed. Rick had wasted no time in firing the first shot and hell had once again broken loose in Woodbury. Seeing all this, experiencing it all, Rick could handle but the part that had enraged him, had been seeing Shane stood beside the Governor's side.

He'd been stood there watching as one of the men he'd been surviving beside for the last eight months, fought for his life. Not once had he stepped in to help, not once had he looked like he wanted to. He'd stood there with no remorse, letting it happen. Without Lori he'd finally slipped away, turned on the people who'd fought by his side for so long. Then, during the battle to escape again it had been Shane leading the charge against his own people and Shane who'd fired the shot that had killed Oscar.

Rick was done. For so long he'd despised the man he believed had been the sole reason his family were dead but now he felt nothing. There was no lingering hatred, no resentment towards the man who'd lied to him for so long before Carl had been born and running off with his wife. Now he was no one, he was just a man who ran out on his people, abandoned his baby and was a risk to the group. Baby or not Rick's new focus was putting him and the Governor down.

"It's suicide…"

Rick shook off Daryl as the other man grabbed his arm. Undeterred though Daryl reached for him again, his grip that much tighter as he forced Rick around. "Let go of me." Rick growled. Daryl shook his head, getting right up in front of Rick and stopping him as Rick tried to walk away again.

"Ain't gonna happen man." Daryl said, pushing Rick back.

"You saw him! He was just stood there…almost got you n' your brother killed! He shot Oscar!" Rick roared, violently pushing Daryl's hands away.

"Ricks right…we can't just leave them alive…" Glenn chimed in, an arm wrapped tightly around his ribs from the beating he'd received from one of the Governor's men. He was furious he hadn't been able to go back into Woodbury after escaping the first time and any other time he might have understood it was because he was hurt. What he didn't understand was why Maggie had been taken back in, after everything she'd been through in that room alone with the Governor.

Glenn was feeling a rage he'd never felt before and he wanted the Governor dead. He'd laid hands on Maggie, the woman Glenn loved and although she insisted that he hadn't forced himself on her, Glenn knew she'd been violated. She was hurt, feeling exposed and he was feeling guilty at his inability to protect her.

"Ya'll try and go back in there, may as well offer yourselves up to the Governor yourself." Merle said, looking at them all like they were insane. Smiling he shook his head, "Your Samaria took the guys right eye, killed his already dead daughter…you killed some of his men and your buddy Shane's all kinds of happy to whisper in his ear about how easy it'll be to wipe ya'll out…so by all means go back in!"

"He's right!" Maggie said, stepping forward and drawing focus onto her, "We need to get home, regroup and get ready." There was no doubt in her mind that the Governor was coming, that Shane would be the one leading the charge against the prison. He'd seen the state she'd been in, the way the Governor had made her undress and he did nothing. After so long of surviving together, none of it meant anything to him, not now that Lori was dead.

Glenn shook his head, disagreeing with that decision, his body practically shaking with rage at the possibility of walking away and leaving that man alive. "Rick…we can do this, come on."

Rick stared back at Glenn, at the man who'd saved his life in the beginning, who'd risked his own life time and time again for their people and wanted to follow through on his idea. He wanted to go back and end this for good, but when he looked at everyone else, took in what they said he knew he couldn't. Merle was right, there was no way they'd be able to get away with going in for a third time. They'd started something last night, they'd started a war and now that one of their own had joined the opposing team, they were more vulnerable than ever.

"Not now. Maggie's right, they all are. We need to get back to the prison, get ready." He said after a few moments. Despite everything inside of him screaming against it, he knew he had to get back to his family and get everyone up to speed. Glenn shook his head, combing his fingers through his hair, his battered face full of a rage Rick had never witness from him before.

"Are you serious! Do you know what he did!" he yelled, stepping up closer to Rick only to have Daryl place himself between the two.

"Glenn, I know…" Rick started but Glenn shook his head, shoving away from Daryl.

"Look at what he's done Rick! What he did to Sara! Do you even know what he did Maggie! Do you know what he did!" he yelled.

"Leave it alone!" Maggie screamed at him, pacing her way back towards the car and ignoring the eyes on her as she did, "Let's go. We can talk about this when we get home."

A heavy silence fell over the group at the implication of Glenn's words and Maggie's reaction. Glenn's rage was rightfully founded and now even Daryl had the urge to ignore all warnings and head back to Woodbury just so he could shoot an arrow right through that bastard's other eye.

"You guys can talk. I'm done with talking." Glenn said, taking a step back and heading towards the other car, his arm wrapped tightly around his abdomen.

Rick stared after his young friend, words failing him. He knew how he felt, but the others had been right. They couldn't justify going back in, not when they had people back home waiting for them to come back. People who they'd left vulnerable to an attack. With one quick glance at Daryl he nodded his head and the rest of the group were heading towards their respective cars, the heavy weight of what they had now started weighing down heavily on all of them.

 _ **-0-**_

Lori was gone. The pain Shane felt at the mere thought of not seeing his wife again was almost too much for him to handle. He knew if he gave himself over to it, if he allowed himself to feel her loss, then there would be no coming back. He knew he wouldn't survive it if he allowed himself to feel it all. So instead he turned that pain into anger, let it fuel his hatred. When he'd left that prison his only focus had been to bury his wife, he hadn't forgotten their child he just needed to lay his wife to rest.

Lori had been all he'd ever wanted but when she'd married Rick, he'd tried to do the honourable thing and step back, to distance himself but he couldn't. His desire for her had been too strong and then he'd learned she loved him back, he'd been lost. He threw away his friendship with Rick, a man he had once called his brother and ran away with Lori soon after Carl had been born. He'd had no regrets and hadn't given any thoughts to those she'd left behind. All Shane had cared about was that she wanted him and that they were together. The world could burn for all he cared if he had her.

Now she was gone and he was left with nothing. Only their baby who was in the care of the woman who'd stolen Carl from Lori. A woman who Carl now called Mom, who'd broken Lori's heart when she'd laid claim onto Lori's son. Now she had her hands on his child, trying to take from him all he had left of Lori. He was going to get her back and now he had an army behind him.

The Governor had declared war, his own hatred fuelled by Shane's words of encouragement. He'd told the Governor all about Sara being there, about Merle's involvement in her escape and that it had been the prison group who'd attacked Woodbury and that they'd taken Michonne along with them. The woman who had taken away his daughter and his eye. The Governor was murderous and now they were heading out at first light to attack the prison. To lay waste to those bastards who had left Lori to die and to get his daughter back.

War had begun.

 ** _-0-_**

 _ **Life. Life just stole all the muse out of me. My family has been suffering one major hit after another lately and I'll admit the stress and devastation of recent losses kicked off my anxiety and depression. I've not long got myself well enough to get back to work and I've only started writing again over the last few weeks. I'm so sorry for the long gap in-between updates guys I truly am.**_

 _ **You also may notice in upcoming chapters and this one that I'm not spending a lot of time on certain events that occur near the end of season 3. My reasoning for this is that no matter what angle I seem to take I can't really fit Sara in and I can't really find much room to mess with things. A lot does happen but I'm not going to be spending a lot of time exploring the end of season 3, if things go the way they are right now I predict maybe 4-5 chapters before we reach season 3's end. Then we're on to all the exciting stuff I have planned for season 4 onwards!**_

 _ **Now onto review replies.**_

 _Angelicedg – I suppose Shane was extremely predictable in what he ended up doing. As for the baby we shall see what happens!_

 _NicoleR85 – Hope you enjoyed this chapter to. I have a few more coming up that I'm really excited about before we end season 3._

 _RHatch89 – Thanks! Hopefully you feel the same about this chapter as well._

 _VoidImpala – I really do hope you're ready for more! I have a few exciting chapters coming up after this one that I can't wait to show you guys!_

 _Guest – Here's the 'more' that you wanted!_

 _Margaery – I like doing the flashbacks, which is why I've been working on a small collection that won't fit into the story but I still want you guys to see. So I'll be posting them separately at some point. I love Sara but I don't think we've gotten to see what she's capable of, which is why I can't wait for the next few chapters and season four. Hope you liked this chapter._


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